His past, her present, their pain
by LadyTrish
Summary: Sequel to "What have I done." Somebody has been observing Tony and Ziva for some time now. Revenge gets messy when the whole team is put in danger. Rated T just to be sure
1. Another day at the office

**Ok I'm back with a sequel. I hope you like it, and please tell me if this is crap or should I write more:)) Enjoy, read and review.**

**xoxo LT**

* * *

**Another day at the office.**

"Come on Gibbs! Please! I hate desk work, and I am perfectly fine." Ziva David tried to convince her boss.

Almost two months had passed since her encounter with Barak, and her wounds were healing well. She was still staying at Tony's place, and it was the first week she had been allowed back at NCIS. Of course Gibbs had put her on desk duty, and now the whole team was trying to explain to her that she was not well enough to go out into the field. Although Ziva knew that they were all right, and that her wounds still gave her a great deal of pain, she wasn't ready to give up the fight yet. The team had had a series of cases the past few days and the only thing she could was visit Abby and Ducky, but most of the time both of them were to busy to talk to her. Gibbs had given her as less work as possible, just not to get her tiered. He knew that she was still in pain, although she vehemently denied every time. The truth was she felt useless, and staying at home was not an option any more. The truth was Tony had spoken to Gibbs and Jenny to let her get back to work. Ziva had become so bored that she had started to reorganize Tony's DVD collection, and then began cleaning his apartment on a daily bases. She was finally allowed to get back to work, but only if she'd agree to handle paper work. Ziva had been more then happy to deal with that as long as it meant being with her colleagues and the work she loved so much.

"Ziva, I said no. You are not well enough." Gibbs barked, in a threatening tone.

"At least let me drive the truck…I …" She began.

"NO!!" both McGee and Tony yelled out.

"I was going to say that I will drive careful and observe you. That's it. Please Gibbs, I have been doing desk work for the past four days. I am tiered of reading in your reports how much fun you had." She spoke, hoping that Gibbs would say yes.

Both Tony and McGee were glaring at Ziva and at Gibbs. They had missed Ziva in the field, but they didn't want her to drive. They were not ready to face God, and they knew that with Ziva's driving both of them should say a prayer and ask God for forgiveness for everything they did.

A long silence covered the bull pen, and Ziva was about to give Gibbs another speech, when he cut her off.

"Alright Ziva, you may drive and observe. But if I catch you working, I am going to fire your skinny little butt, and I am going to head-slap DiNozzo until he cries." He threatened with a smirk on his face,

"Hey! What did I do? Why do I get head-slapped if she works?" Tony asked offended.

"Because you two both broke rule number 12 and it seems fair for me to punish you for her mistakes." Gibbs ginned, making Tony feel like an idiot.

"Gear up!" he said, looking at his team.

Ziva was about to take her back pack, but Gibbs quickly spoke.

"You don't take anything Ziva, except your cap and your guns.

"I have permission to have a gun now?" she asked, but swiftly regretted her comment when Gibbs stared at her.

The team moved towards the elevator, when directors voice echoed.

"Where do you think your going officer David?" she asked

"In the field. Gibbs gave me permission to drive and observe."

"Should I get you all a priest? Did you write your wills?" she asked, smirking.

"I don't drive that bad. Honestly, I have learned how to drive. Tony has given me lessons." She innocently stated.

"What was that you said about a priest director?" McGee asked, but quickly got head-slapped by Tony.

"Jen, you wanted something, or can I go see my dead marine?" Gibbs asked, smiling.

"I just wanted to tell you that Fornell would be joining you. It seems they have jurisdiction over this case. The FBI will be helping you out." She said and returned to MTAC.

The team could hear Gibbs swear, and Ziva started to regret her decision regarding this mission.

* * *

Half and hour later, McGee and Tony jumped out of the car and rushed to the nearest tree. Both of them regretted having breakfast that morning.

"That's it Ziva! I will never again let you get close to a car again." Tony said, but quickly turned his face to tree and vomited yet again.

Both Gibbs and Ziva smirked, but their expressions changed quickly once the gruesome scene had been revealed. Now the gray haired agent and the Israeli regretted of having shown up for work that morning.

* * *

**Press the blue button and make me happy, or at least tell me if you liked it:)) TBC, if you like it:)**


	2. Chocolate chip cookies

**Hello:) I promised I will update soon, and here it is...the next chapter. I want to thank all of you for the wonderful reviews. You have made me very very happy. I hope you like this chapter:))**

**Enjoy, read and review:))**

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS! I wish I would but I just own and imagination and a very happy laptop:))**

**xoxo LT**

* * *

**Chocolate chip cookies**

Gibbs took his NCIS cap off and started scratching his head. He didn't know where to begin with, what to process first. The crime scene was too large to be covered by one team. Just as he was about to pull his phone out of his pocket and call for back up, a hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned around only to glare at Fornell's worried face.

"Care to tell me why my marine is murdered on your military base, Fornell?" Gibbs asked.

"Well Gibbs, if I would know, you wouldn't be here. Now get your team and let's have a closer look on this. My men have not touched anything, just kept the curious people of our backs." Fornell explained, moving towards the crime scene.

The crime scene was actually the entrance of a hanger. A fighter jet, an F-35 Lightning II was half way out of the building, but its nose was covered in blood. The wheels and parts of the fuselage were also covered with large blood stains. In front of the plane, lay a dismembered body. It was hardly possible to recognize the poor fellow, and from what Gibbs could tell, the marine's abdomen had been sliced open and his intestines have been ripped out. His face was smashed, his skull in pieces and parts of his brain were scattered on the concrete.

"Tobias how do we know that this guy is a marine? He had no ID, no dog tags, nothing." Gibbs asked, trying to figure out why the hell he was sitting on a military base, with a dismembered body in front of him and the FBI on his back.

"We found a tattoo on his right arm, a marine's tattoo." Fornell explained.

"Tobias you know that this guy doesn't necessarily have to be a marine. I mean kids do this all the time. They tattoo an anchor on their arm and then think they are marines." Gibbs explained.

"The words Semper Fi, mean anything to you?" Fornell enquired.

Gibbs did not answer, so Fornell patted him on the back and plainly stated "Though so."

"Agent Fornell!" somebody yelled out from inside the hanger.

Fornell and Gibbs made their way to the place where the voice was heard only to receive a shock yet again. The man's intestines were hanging from the tail of the jet, underneath a pool of blood.

Fornell quickly covered his mouth and Gibbs shook his head.

"There's more sir." The young agent spoke.

"More? How can there be more? There is hardly anything left from this poor guy." Gibbs spoke.

"It seems our killer left a message, on the downside of the F-35's wing. All three agents positioned themselves under the wing so they could read the message. _**"You'll pay!"**_ was written in big black letters. The words were written with a black marker pen, but there were traces of blood every where.

Gibbs exhaled loudly and made his way to his team, which was waiting impatiently.

"What do we have boss?" Tony asked anxious.

"Tony you sketch, McGee, bag and tag, and Ziva I will need you on this one as well. Photograph the scene." He spoke, his voice mixed with concern and anger.

All three nodded and made their way to their duties. They knew that things were bad and it was best not to disobey Gibbs's orders.

* * *

All three NCIS agents did their jobs without getting distracted as usual, and Gibbs was surprised by how professional they acted. Although he knew they always did their jobs properly, they liked to goof around, joke and try to improve the mood. Now all of them had wrinkles on their foreheads and were paying attention only to the crime scene. He also noticed that Tony became very pale when he got to the back side of the F-35, and McGee was fighting the urge to vomit. When he turned to observe Ziva better, Gibbs grew concerned. Every time she bowed down or kneeled next to the body or the jet she would grimace in pain, and once in a while clutch her stomach with her hand. The gray haired agent mentally head slapped himself for letting her work, even though she was a great help to the team. Impatiently he cheeked his watch again, only to notice that barley five minutes had passed since he had called Ducky. Palmer was driving and it was naturally that they would get lost yet again.

He walked up to Ziva and grabbed her arm, while she was ducking once again to take a close up.

"That's enough Ziva! Go and sit down." He softly spoke.

"Gibbs I am fine, don't worry." She tried to convince him.

"Ziva I have been observing you for the past ten minutes. You keep clutching your stomach, you are not fine. Now go and sit down." The elderly agent said in a more firm tone.

She tried to launch another attack on him, trying to convince him that she was fine, but a firm grip around her waist and the soft voice whispering in her ear made her change her mind.

"Ziva, I'm done with the sketching, I can take over for you. Go and sit down…Please!" Tony hissed, and she nodded obediently.

* * *

Ziva made her way to the van, turning once in a while to look back on the others. She was in a way glad that she could sit down for a while. Her stomach wound was killing her and she hoped that once at headquarters she could lie down in the director's office for an hour.

Just as she sat down in the van she could see Ducky and Palmer approaching.

"Hello Ducky! You made it." She spoke, her exhaustion vibrating from her voice.

"Ah Ziva my dear! Are you alright, you look rather pale?" the Scotsman asked.

"I'm fine Ducky." She explained with a hint of irritation in her voice.

"You're sure? I can check up on you if you want." He trailed away.

"Ducky, you got yourself a very pissed Gibbs on your hands. I think the dead marine needs you more." She patiently explained, hoping that she could get read of him.

"Oh! Alright then, we should be going then. Mister Palmer; my bag please." Ducky yelled out.

"Yes doctor. Right away." A muffled voice responded.

Both of them passed Ziva and she smiled at both of them.

"It was about time you got here Duck! Palmer where the hell did you learn to drive?" Gibbs barked frustrated.

"Alright Jethro, leave the poor boy alone and take me to my patient." Ducky jumped in, trying to stop Gibbs's attempts of verbally murdering Palmer.

All three men walked up to the dead body, Palmer being the first to turn around and vomit behind the nearest bush.

"Oh for heavens sake mister Palmer, you act like you haven't seen a dead mutilated body in your entire life!" Ducky spoke irritated.

"I'm sorry doctor!" Palmer apologized between breaths.

The medical examiner took out his thermometer, inserting it into the liver. The precision with what the body was opened amazed Ducky. Although the marine's intestines had been basically ripped out of his abdomen, his liver was intact.

"Do you have a time of death Ducky?" Gibbs asked impatiently.

"Well it seems our poor fellow died around ten to twelve hours ago." The examiner informed.

"Do you have a cause of death Duck?" Gibbs trailed away.

"Goodness, no Jethro. I have to get him back to the autopsy, I will know more when I open him up….well more then he already is." Ducky stated.

"Mister Palmer the gurney please." He called out waiting for his assistant to return.

* * *

Once the body was loaded into the truck, Gibbs turned to face Fornell, when he heard Ziva's and McGee's voice calling out his name. He rushed to meet the two agents and when he got in close to them he could see that McGee was holding a bloody knife.

"I do believe this might be our murder weapon." Ziva spoke out.

"Good job you two. Now get DiNozzo and lets get back to headquarters." He spoke, while looking at Ziva moving towards Tony. He could see that she was tiered, still holding on to her stomach.

"Boss…ahm…may I make a remark?" McGee shyly asked.

Gibbs nodded and McGee trailed away. "Boss, could you please talk to her to go home, or at least see Ducky after he finishes. She's been clutching her stomach for some time now, and I'm kind of worried."

Gibbs smiled and put a hand on Tim's shoulder, making the young agent look up only to meet his boss's firm look.

"I will talk to her." He plainly stated and got into the van. He could see Tony and Ziva getting near the truck, and he noticed that Ziva was shyly holding on to Tony's jacket. Tony didn't see to have noticed it, but somehow Gibbs knew that Tony was aware of Ziva's condition but didn't want to upset her by nagging her about it.

* * *

Once back at NCIS, Gibbs disappeared for a coffee break, McGee went down to the lab to bring Abby the goodies, and Tony lifted his feet to his desk, enjoying a cup of coffee, but also closely observing Ziva.

The Mossad liaison officer had been searching for her pain killers, hoping that she could stop the pain. It became unbearable and she desperately wanted to lay down for a bit. Just as she was about to scream, Tony kneeled next to her, holding a box of pain killers in his right hand.

"I always keep a box with me, just in case." He said taking her hand.

"Thank you Tony." She smiled her face pale.

"Why didn't you tell me anything? I'll talk to Gibbs, let you go home." He trailed away.

"No!...I mean, don't do that Tony. I'm not feeling that bad. I'm going to go into Jenny's office and just lay down for a bit." She explained, hoping that he would understand that she didn't want to go home alone.

"Ok baby. I'll take you up." He spoke, standing up.

"Tony, I'm not an invalid. I am perfectly capable of climbing those stairs." She said, grinning.

He went back to his desk, still looking at her, but he had that look in his eyes. Ziva knew exactly what it was, and she didn't want to see it there.

She bent down and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Stop worrying my love. I am alright." She whispered seductively.

"I know Ziva, but I nearly lost you once, I don't want to take any chances." He continued, but Ziva placed another kiss on his lips and then disappeared up the steps.

At that moment Gibbs walked into the bull pen and Tony jumped up from his desk.

"Boss Ziva's at the directors, lying down for a while. Please don't get upset with her. I told her to go home but she didn't want to. She'll be back into the office in an hour." Tony frenetically explained.

"It's ok DiNozzo. I wanted to send her home or at least see Ducky after he finished, but I'm glad she's resting now." Gibbs trailed away.

* * *

Several hours had passed, and they were still waiting for the prints to hit a match and for Ducky to finally finish the autopsy. Jenny had come down to tell them that Ziva was asleep and Gibbs decided it was for the best to let her rest.

Now he needed to see if Ducky's conversation could bring them a step closer to the killer.

"What you got for me Duck?" he asked the moment the doors to the autopsy lab slide open.

"Ah Jethro! Right on time. I have good and bad news for you." the medical examiner began.

"Start with the bad news Duck." Gibbs spoke tiredly.

"Well your killer is very good at his job. There hasn't been one single strain of hair or DNA on this poor man's body." He explained, indicating the body.

"However, I can now tell you what killed him, well Abigail should phone me any second and tell me, and I can piece together how this man died.

First of all, I examined his head wound. It was done post mortem, exactly like the four out of five stabs he received. I have found in his stomach residue of his last meal, chocolate chip cookies." Ducky continued to explain,

"Ducky, what killed him, the fifth stab wound?" Gibbs asked impatiently.

"All in good time my dear Jethro. As I was saying, he was still alive when he received the first stab wound, but it did not kill him, but it certainly helped out. I have sent the content of our John Doe up to Abby, she should have answers."

"Hey Ducky, hey Gibbs." The squeaky voice of the over caffeinated Goth echoed through the room.

"Hey Abs. You have some answers?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes oh grumpy on, I have the results. Ducky you were right, he was poisoned with Arsenic." She explained.

"Just as I suspected it. You see Jethro, this poor fellow had vomited something that had a green-yellowish color and not at all the color of chocolate cookies, plus there was some excess saliva dried up next to his mouth, this letting me suspect that our poor John Doe, might have dyed of Arsenic poisoning." Ducky proudly clarified.

"That's all good Ducky, but you still haven't told me about that first stab wound." Gibbs said.

"Jethro, it seems that the marine was trying to control his movements, try to get away from whoever was hurting him. However the large dose of arsenic was making any attempts of flight impossible; he was struggling to stay alive. Our killer then took this knife here"….pointing at the knife on a small table…"and stabbed him, in the process cutting an artery resulting in bleeding inside his abdomen, explaining the large amount of blood we found. I didn't kill him, because he was barely breathing any more when the killer stabbed him. Within minutes after the first time he was stabbed, our John Doe, died, the poison killing him, and then the killer continued to stab him." Ducky explained while Abby and Gibbs continued to listen intrigued.

"Thanks Duck." Gibbs said, moving towards the door.

"I'm not finished Jethro!" Ducky shouted making Gibbs turn back.

"There is more?" he cautiously and skeptically asked.

"I just wanted to tell you, that we are dealing here with some one who knows his way around bodies. Maybe some one with medical training; the incision to his abdomen and the removal of the small intestine was very precise. After that I think the killer got annoyed or angry, and he ripped a part of the large intestine, but in the end started cutting with precision." Ducky described, looking at the body

"Wow the poor guy was killed by a doctor baking chocolate chip cookies." Abby said, but only Palmer, Ducky and a very dead John Doe could hear her; Gibbs had already left the room.

* * *

**TBC...**

**Tell me what you think! Did you liked it? Suggestions are welcomed.**


	3. I won't let them hurt you

**Hello everybody! I'm back from my vacation and with a new chapter. Considering the fact I haven't updated in like forever, this is a longer chapter. Thank you again for the wonderful reviews. It warms my heart. I promise I will try to update faster...and I can promise you that during this story you would hate me, you will laugh and cry and I intend to bring some bad guys into the picture :)) Until then read and review and more importantly ENJOY:)) **

**P.S. I think it's a little OCC but I'm not really sure...please tell me...**

**I wish, but still don't own them...you know what I own :))**

* * *

**I won't let them hurt you.**

It was nearing midnight and Timothy McGee was close to collapsing. The past 12 hours had been exhausting and the only thing he wished to do, was go home and listen to a jazz CD, while looking at the flames play joyfully in his fireplace. Unfortunately for him, this dream seemed to fade with every passing second, because his boss had other plans for him. McGee had been assigned to locate the maintenance team who had access to the fighter jet. However this proofed to be a problem, considering the fact that the team was from Arizona and that most of the people were sleeping during this hour.

McGee glared at the other side of the bull pen only to spot a very pale Ziva. She was desperately trying to find the last pilot who flew the plane. She needed to find out if this man had any connections to the John Doe lying a few floors down in a refrigerator. But her efforts were in vain as well. The hanger where they had found the dead marine was not keeping any clear records, so Ziva had to call at least two dozen people who had access to the plane in the last three weeks.

McGee took a quick glimpse to his left only to notice that the senior field agent was not having any luck either. Gibbs had assigned Tony the task of finding out who had access to the jet in the last 24 hours and get them back to HQ. Again Gibbs seemed to ignore one important fact. People needed sleep, and couldn't survive only on caffeine, like he did.

Tim felt his eyes stinging from exhaustion, and wished he could put his head on his arms and just doze off for a few minutes. In fact the only person in the building still capable of functioning, besides Gibbs, was Abby.

"You have anything?" Gibbs barked, climbing down the stairs of MTAC, with Jenny and Fornell on his tail.

"Not yet boss." Tony began.

"It seems that the maintenance team hired a few weeks ago is not from DC. It's a team brought from Arizona." McGee explained sheepishly.

"And it seems that every pilot in DC is sound asleep at this hour." Ziva concluded.

"Well wake them up! I want to know who this guy is, and who killed him." Gibbs yelled out.

"Jethro!" Jenny began…"It's late. Let the team go home, there is nothing they can do anymore at this hour."

"She's right Gibbs. It's late and they have been working their asses off for the past twelve hours." Fornell tried his luck in convincing Gibbs.

Gibbs looked at his team, and the exhaustion was obvious to him now. Tony was tiered and had dark rings under his eyes. The last couple of days had been hectic for him, considering the fact that he was doing Ziva's job also, but mainly the amount of cases overwhelmed him, and at home he was trying to spare Ziva as much as possible.

McGee looked like hell as well, and Gibbs couldn't shake off the feeling that the young agent would collapse if he wouldn't get any sleep soon.

Of course there was Ziva as well. He was most of all worried about her. Her face was pale, to pale for his liking, and it seemed that every move she made caused her a tremendous amount of pain.

"Fine! All of you go home… NOW! Before I change my mind." He barked out, looking how the faces of his agents light up.

"Thank you boss." Tony said while picking up his bag.

"I want you all back here at 0800. Don't be late." He yelled and looked at all of them.

"Will do boss." McGee spoke and took his iPhone from his desk.

"McGee, go down to Abby and tell her that I said she should take you home." Gibbs ordered with a milder tone.

"Oh, boss, that's ok. I can drive." McGee began.

"That wasn't a suggestion McGee that was an order." He barked once again.

Tim nodded and made his way towards the elevator, deep down grateful that he could spend some time with the happy Goth.

Gibbs turned his face to spot his other two agents. They were moving also towards the elevator and Gibbs noticed that Tony was holding Ziva firmly around her waist, while whispering something in her ear.

His conscious told him that he shouldn't have ordered Ziva to come in, in the morning, but he needed all the help he could get.

"Jen, Gibbs, I'm off too. You know how cranky the wife gets if I'm late." Fornell said, giving Gibbs a look, somehow seeking understanding from the grey haired agent.

"I'll see you in the morning Tobias…if you are still alive that is." Gibbs smirked.

"Heh! Leave it up to you to know what I'm talking about." The replay came.

Once Fornell left it was Gibbs and Jenny left, looking at each other in perfect silence.

"I presume you are going to have a restless night, working on your boot, hoping you might understand something from this." Jen began and Gibbs smiled.

"Probably, but first I need some food, a cold beer and some company." He trailed away smiling.

A few minutes later, both of them left the building, hoping to spend a relaxing evening. If they only that it would be the last relaxing evening they will enjoy for a very long time.

* * *

His Mustang was chasing down the streets of DC, hurrying to get back to the warmth of an apartment, the smell of good food and the comfort of a bad and a shower. The couple was quiet; both emerged in their own thoughts, trying to process the day.

"I though about Chinese. What do you think?" the Italian finally broke the silence.

"That sounds good Tony, but please let's stay at my apartment." Ziva's weak voice responded.

"Fine by me, but first we have to stop at my place so I can get some clothes." The response came, and then the car was emerged once again in shear silence.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, the Mustang stopped in front of Ziva's apartment, and the two agents got out of the car. Ziva dragged her feet along, while Tony suppressed a yawn. She finally opened the door, after a small argument. Ziva had insisted to take the stairs, so Tony scooped her up and carried her inside the elevator. He was too tiered to argue with her anymore, or even give in.

Once inside the apartment, Ziva placed the food on the kitchen counter and started getting out the dishes, so they may dine. In the mean time, Tony stepped inside the shower, hoping that the water could wash away the crime scene out of his head.

He had been feeling crappy all day long, and he just wanted to eat and get some sleep. Most of all he was worried about Ziva. She was not feeling well and he hoped that the excitement wouldn't make matters worst.

He turned the water off, letting the small drops glide down his body, swallowing the bitter thoughts down and getting back to his regular self. A few minutes later he appeared back in the kitchen with nothing on, except a towel wrapped around his waist. He leaned on the door frame, his head resting on it, his arms crossed to his chest, observing the woman he loved from the bottom of his heart.

She was sitting on a kitchen chair drinking a glass of water, staring out the window, with her right hand tracing circles around the burn marks. He involuntarily winced when he saw the marks. They had healed beautifully, but small marks still reminded the team of the horrors she went through.

"You are better at sneaking up, but you still have a lot to learn. Don't let your whole weight on your heals, it makes too much noise." She commented, slowly turning her head, so she could face him.

The sight almost took her breath away. Tony always had this effect on her, and she suddenly felt the urge to kiss him, and hold him tight. He was her own version of a Greek god. His muscles beautifully contoured his lips red, his deep green eyes, she wanted him more then anything in the world.

He could feel her eyes burning on his body, and he couldn't hide a smirk. Tony loved when she did that, because it made him feel wanted, and most of all, it felt good to know that such a beautiful woman wanted him.

"See something you like?" he asked, with a large smile.

She just swallowed hard, knowing that he was still out of reach for her.

"I…I…I need to take a shower." she said, feeling the heat rising up inside of her. He looked at her, longing in his eyes, but she swiftly walked passed him, leaving him a little confused. Little did she know that he was the whole time fighting the urge to sweep her off her feet and take her to the bedroom.

Ziva closed the door behind door and slid down, sitting on the floor. She felt her heart beat like crazy and could still feel the electricity in the air. It was something about Tony that made Ziva loose control over her senses. After she managed to get her breath back, she slipped out of the sweaty clothes and stepped into the shower. Because of her injuries, Tony and she haven't been able to explore each other properly. He was to afraid of hurting her, and most of the time she felt to exhausted to heat things up. One time they had tried it, but she had flinched under his touch every time. Tony had been as gentle as possible, but her injuries and the memories accompanying those wounds made it almost impossible for her to enjoy anything. After that Tony had spend countless nights sleeping on the couch. He couldn't trust himself next to her, for that she was too beautiful and he wanted their first time to be perfect, and not see pain in her eyes. This hadn't been easy for any of them.

Nightmares plagued her most of the time, and she needed to feel his protecting arms, so she sneaked out of her own bed and into Tony's many times. Ziva couldn't admit this openly, it would make her look weak in his eyes, and that she didn't want. All along she had thought that Tony had no idea of her actions during the night.

Little did she know that Tony had heard her moan in her sleep, and had seen her cry almost every time. When she would sneak up on him, he would pretend to be sound asleep, but after she would snuggle up to him and he could hear her peacefully snore he would take her in his arms, protecting her from herself and her demons.

The assassin turned off the water and slipped out of the tub. The mirror above the sink was steamed, and she swiftly wiped it off with her hand. A rather pale and sickly looking Ziva stared back at her. She looked horrible, and felt the same way. _"And yet he loves me." _She thought and smiled. A warm and fuzzy feeling invaded her heart. "_Tony…he's perfect."_ She said to herself and wrapped a towel around her frame. All of the sudden a sharp pain made her gasp. Looking down on her abdomen she observed that her wound was red and sore. She had been wearing a bandage for some time now. The doctor had ordered to keep dust and dirty away from the wound; it closed up slowly and there was always the risk of infection. She took out of her cabinet some fresh bandages, cotton balls and disinfectant. The Israeli hated this part the most; it reminded her to much of Barak.

She came out of the bathroom and rapidly went to her bedroom, hoping that Tony wouldn't notice. Ziva didn't want him to see how much pain this procedure caused her. Unfortunately Tony saw her practically run of to the bedroom and followed her. Quietly he opened the door, only to see a half naked Ziva sitting in front of the mirror, her jaws tightly closed, her lips white, her hand shacking, her eyes concentrated on the task.

Tony came behind her and took the cotton ball from her hand. She raised her eyes, only to meet his, eyes full of concern and love.

"Lay down Ziva." He spoke softly and she obeyed.

He sat next to her, taking a clean cotton ball and applying on it disinfectant, then gently rubbing her wound. She winced a couple of times, but he kissed her skin every time, hoping to bring her some comfort.

"I'm sorry baby." He whispered, kissing the soft skin once again.

"That's ok." She responded, but Tony could feel in her voice how unpleasant this whole thing was.

She turned her face towards him, running a hand trough his hair, and smiling.

After a few minutes, he secured the bandage and kissed her stomach once again, while she was caressing his face with her fingers. He kissed her fingers gently, while she arched her body towards him and kissed his lips.

"Thank you. You have such a gentle hand." She whispered.

He smiled and took her in his arms, holding her in a warm embrace, while she ran circles on his back. The minutes passed, and none of them wanted to break that moment. Finally Ziva let go of Tony and went to her drawer, taking out an old t-shirt of Tony's. She could feel his perfume, and it made her feel safe. He smiled and stood up from the bed.

"Let's get some food baby. I'm hungry." Giving her a funny look.

His facial expression had the gift of bringing a smile on Ziva's lips.

* * *

They both sat in front of Ziva's TV watching "How to her rid of a guy in 10 days", the slices of vanilla cake still untouched on her small coffee table. The scene where Kate Hudson plays Bullshit with Matthew's family unfolded in front of their eyes. He liked this movie, although it was a chick flick. It was funny and romantic at the same time, and above all he knew how much Ziva liked it. A quick look to his lap revealed the sleep form he loved so much. She had fallen asleep twenty minutes after the movie started. Tony smiled and decided it was time to get her to a more comfortable bed, plus he could not feel his legs anymore. Gently he tried to stand up, while trying to get a pillow under her head. She stirred, but soon started snoring softly. Tony couldn't suppress a smile, she was so cute. Once in front of the couch, he put an arm under her legs and another one on under her shoulders, and prepared to lift her up and carry her to the bedroom.

"Thank God the bedroom is not far away. She's been eating too much pizza." He spoke quietly.

"And who's fault is that?" she asked tiered.

"Ah Ziva…you're awake…I didn't mean that…heh." He explained, laughing nervously.

"Tony let go of me. I can find my way to the bedroom….But thank you for being you." She trailed away, tenderly kissing him on the cheek.

She stumbled back to her bedroom, and Tony had a full view of her legs and bottom. The Italian had been dreaming about the day, when he could caress her body without her flinching at his every touch.

The movie had ended, and like all Hollywood love stories, the guy got the girl in the end, and they lived happily ever after. Tony smiled at the though of him having the same Hollywood story, sleeping not far from him. He got the girl of his dreams; they just had to work out the happily ever after part.

A large white pillow lay on Ziva's favourite armchair, and Tony stood up from the couch to grab it. A low cry caught his attention, but he shook his head after a few seconds.

"DiNozzo, you need some sleep." He said out load, then turned off the TV, then snuggled on Ziva's couch. But he couldn't sleep, his heart was racing, and his ears were like radars, waiting to hear a needle fall.

"_No!"_ Tony heard, and jumped off the couch, rushing towards Ziva's bedroom. He switched the hall light on, opened the bedroom door only to reveal a frail form, crying and struggling with the bed covers.

Tony jumped on to the bed, and caught the two arms hitting the pillow. "Ziva, baby wake up. You are having another nightmare." He spoke, trying to wake her up.

"Please no! No more, please!" she yelled out, making Tony shiver. Her voice seemed to belong to a small child being beaten up. She was still struggling with the bedcovers, but Tony managed to remove the material and free her body. She continued to struggle, hitting Tony in the process over the head. The NCIS agent grabbed her body, immobilizing her arms.

"Ziva, wake up. It's me Tony!" he spoke in her ear.

She seemed to calm down, and Tony's grip eased up, but then she started hitting the bed again.

"ZIVA!" his voice thundered down, while he shock her more violently then he intended.

She woke up, her whole body shacking, and Tony could feel how tense her muscles were. Suddenly Tony felt how her body began to shack violently and he could hear her gasp for air, while large tears were falling on his hands. Her body started relaxing and Tony embraced her tighter, rocking her and kissing her hair.

" Shhhhh….It's ok Ziva! I'm here, everything is alright!" he tenderly spoke, letting her cry as much as she felt she needed too.

Tony had no idea how much Ziva had been crying, he could still hear her sobbing. He placed her tenderly back in bed, she didn't object. He got up to take her blanket, but she caught him by the hand.

"Please, don't leave me alone. Stay with me in bed. Please!" she begged him, large tears rolling down her cheeks. He took the blanket from the floor and covered her, then laid down next to her and took her in his arms. Tony continued to whisper smoothening words, while she tried to stop the avalanche of tears.

"Tony, make them stop!" she pleaded and snuggled up to him more.

Tony had never seen the thought assassin so vulnerable, so hurt and, could he dare say it, so afraid.

He continued to rub circles on her back and plainly stated.

"I won't let them hurt you Ziva. I promise!" and deep down inside he knew he would squash anyone trying to harm her again.


	4. Another one bites the dust

**Hello everybody! Still remember me? I'm SO sorry for not updating in such a long time. Life has not been pink lately...anyway I will try to update sooner from now on. If you have any ideas or suggestions feel free to tell me...**

**Read and review please :))**

**xoxo LT**

* * *

**Another one bites the dust**

It was real early when Ziva awoke. In the beginning she didn't know where she was, or why she was being held so closely and tightly. She slowly turned, only to spot the sleeping face of Tony. His forehead was wrinkled and his lips tightly pressed together in one fine line; he looked so cute but at the same time worried. Gradually her memory came back and she remembered the awful dream she had. It had been the same dream she had been having in the past month.

_Ziva was in a dark room, with a light bulb hanging above her hear, and she was bound to a chair without any weapons. Then Barak would come forward out of the dark, telling her that everybody had abandoned her, that Gibbs couldn't stand her anymore for what she had done to Ari. Then he would trough at her feet an empty cup of coffee covered in blood, Gibbs's blood. He would laugh hysterical, while her eyes revealed nothing but fear. _

"_They have all deserted you Ziva." Barak told her in her dream. "But I took care of things Ziva. I helped them how you helped my son." The evil voice trailed away while throwing at her feet a slashed hippo, mascara mixed with blood covering the small frame._

"_No Abby!" Ziva cried._

"_But that's not all my darling. Take a look at the lovely things I have also collected." He trailed away, getting out of a large bag an iPhone showing her a picture of a shot McGee. Then he kneeled down holding a pair of glasses with an eyeball._

_Ziva let out a small yell, recognising Ducky's blue eye._

"_I know you have been fond of your director. Here she is in all her glory." He spoke putting a pile of red hair on her lap. A part of the scalp was still attached to it._

_She would start crying, yelling, and cursing while the tears were rolling down her face._

"_Shhhhhh my dear. I have saved the best for last." He hissed._

_Out of his bag he would get out a bloody ball, which Ziva would recognise as being Tony's head. His eyes would stare at her why she would scream and Barak would laugh. Then he would put Tony's head on a high bar chair and let them alone, while his voice would echo "You have nobody Ziva; like I have nobody. You will be alone for all eternity. I took a great deal of pleasure in killing them. Especially your little boy toy." He laughed._

As she recalled the nightmare, panic started rising in her chest. _"No! No more pain! No more hurting the people I love"_ she yelled out in her head, trying to make the memory go away and control herself. She managed to stop the panic, but in the process she woke up Tony. He on the other hand didn't say a word; he stared at her, trying to figure out what had happened to her. She nearly suffered a heart attack, when she looked back at the presumably sleeping form of her boyfriend, but was met by his blue eyes, boring into her skull.

"Morning Tony. You scared me!" she began trying to regain her self control.

"Morning Zee. Well you scared the crap out of me last night." He said concerned.

"I'm sorry Tony. I did not mean to scare you. I'll be alright." She trailed away.

"Ziva, baby you might want to kill me, but shouldn't you go and visit…you know…" he spoke lower and lower.

"Visit what Tony?" dangerously she enquired.

"I mean…ah…you know…there are people who can actually help you deal with the nightmares." Tony tried to calm her down, seeing that she was getting irritated by the second.

"Ah you mean I should go and visit a shrink; a person who deals with people loosing their minds on a regular basis. You presume I fit it, right? Well I got news for you Tony. I am PERFECTLY FINE!!" she yelled out causing Tony to fall out of the bed.

"Ok, ok. I'm just saying that…" the Italian began but the sudden ring of his cell phone caused him to stop.

"DiNozzo"

"DiNozzo, take David and meet me in Georgetown. We got another body." The voice of the NCIS trailed away.

"Got it boss. On our way." Tony replied, while hanging up the phone.

"Gear up babe, we got another one."

* * *

Half an hour later, Tony's beloved Mustang pulled in front of an beautiful and well kept house. It looked like the type suburban dream house, but now it was swamped by men in police uniforms and NCIS agents. The two agents stepped out of the car and walked over to a very annoyed Gibbs.

"You're late!" he observed very annoyed.

"Sorry boss, you know how traffic is in the morning. What do we got?" Tony tried to brighten up the mood.

"A slaughtered marine." The dry response came.

"Tony, photograph the scene, Ziva sketch. McGee is already bagging and tagging." He commanded and looked at his two agents, who were not moving from the spot.

"Now!" he barked and watched them running towards the crime scene.

Tony entered the house first and was greeted by a green looking McGee.

"Morning Probie! You don't look too good; bad breakfast?" he asked bitter.

"Yeah Tony. I think your breakfast will be bad as well after you see this." He replied.

"Good God!" both men heard Ziva shout.

Tony entered the bedroom only to spot a man who had been bound to his bed, beaten up and cut open; his torso covered in blood, most of it coming from his mouth.

"Uh! Poor guy!" Tony spoke, taking the camera out of his bag.

"His abdomen was cut open and his intestines ripped out, just like in the other marine." Ziva said, fighting back the urge to vomit. Even with her training, she was still human and such things made even her stomach roll over.

"Everything is covered in blood in this room. I mean look at his chairs, at the carpet, the nightstand, everything. Our murderer went over the top and had a lot of fun with what he was doing." McGee explained.

"And yet everything with surgical precision." A Scottish voice mingled in the discussion.

"Mister Palmer, I need that thermometer." He trailed away, tapping impatiently on the carpet.

"Coming doctor." A muffled voice replied.

"Well I see I will have to have a little chat with this poor man's stomach yet again. I can bet you a cup of tee that he was eating chocolate chip cookies."

"Oh dear Lord!" Palmer shouted and ran out the door, seeking for the nearest toilet.

"Oh good heavens Mister Palmer! If you start that doing more often I might have to ask you to take a pregnancy test." Ducky shouted while the three agents suppressed a chuckle.

"I'm sorry doctor! I will not happen again." Palmer answered, but the whole team knew that this will not go away too soon.

"Right; Ziva fetch me that thermometer out of my bag please." Ducky ordered and Ziva complied.

"Ah let's see. According to this our marine left the land of the living around eight hours ago. We have the same marks, stab wounds, I can see around four here, we have a bullet as well, and of course the intestines surgically removed and spilled all over the place." He informed and exited the room so he may get the gurney.

"Timothy I need your help. It seems Mister Palmer might be talking to his mother and informing her that he is with child." He trailed away joking causing all the three agents to burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" the cranky voice asked.

"Palmer is pregnant." Ziva replied still giggling.

"What? Stop fooling around! Are you three done with photos and sketching? And where the hell is McGee?" he barked annoyed.

"Almost done boss. McGee's helping Ducky with the gurney." Tony explained taking a picture of the blood stained carpet at the same time.

Gibbs nodded and was about to leave the room, when Tony spoke again.

"Ah boss, we have another message from our killer."

By this time both McGee and Ducky returned and so did Palmer; but everything stopped when they red the bloody riddle in the closet.

"_Different religions, worlds apart, they are everything and yet nothing. They live and love, but they will pay. Together they will be in the grave." _

"Ok somebody needs to have his head checked." Tony spoke disgusted.

"Take pictures of the closet, but I want it taken back to HQ, so Abby can take a look at it. We are done here, let's head back." Gibbs instructed and then left the room.

* * *

Once back at HQ, the whole team was trying to figure out if John Doe number two had a name. The fact that the marine had been murdered in a residential area made it harder to find out who the guy was. The neighbours were hysterical and couldn't answer any of their questions.

Finally after three pain staking hours in interrogation, Ziva walked out with a grin on her face. They had managed to find a teenager who actually knew who lived in the house where the marine had been murdered.

"Ok, Johnny said that a Mr. and Mrs. Steen lived there, and that Mr. Steen was mostly out of the country because of business, and Mrs. Steen would jet around the world or stay at Martha's Vineyard most of the time. However in the last couple of months she has been staying home more frequently and the kid says he had been seeing our marine more often. He didn't have a name, but he said that at least twice a week the guy was over." She filled them in.

"Ok let's find out…" Gibbs began but something rushed past him so he stopped in the middle of his sentence.

"I know who John Doe number one is. I finally figured it out." She spoke excited.

"Well Abby I think you should share this with us." Gibbs spoke impatiently.

"You guys, you remember that when our marine was brought in I saw a cool Latin phrase tattooed on his arm?" she asked happy.

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with the case?" McGee asked confused.

"It means everything Timmy. The phrase is "_amor et melle et felle est fecundissmismus" _which means "love is rich with both honey and venom" she explained but the team still couldn't understand why this was relevant and who the guy was.

"Abby I still don't understand." Ziva trailed away.

"I contacted my friend Joe, who did most of my tattoos and I asked him if he did Latin phrases. Obviously he doesn't deal with stuff like that, but he told me that there is a guy named Gus, who tattoos phrases and symbols that most of the tattoo artists don't do. He gave me a phone number and I called up Gus, asked him if he tattooed the dead marines phrase. Gus remembered that he tattooed four guys in the last ten years with this phrase and he emailed me the list with the names of the guys. I checked all the names and three of the guys are well and alive while the fourth name, which got the tattoo six months ago, is lying on our autopsy table." She spoke quickly without breathing.

"Abby great job, but I need a name." Gibbs spoke, taking a sip of his coffee at the same time.

"His name is Claudio Fratelli. I cracked the SISMI database and found out that our marine was born in Milano but moved to America by the age of seven." She trailed away.

"SISMI?" McGee asked confused.

"The Italian Military Intelligence Service." Ziva, Gibbs, Abby and Tony spoke at the same time.

"Now that we have a name we can start finding out who the hell this guy pissed off so badly that he got himself killed. I'm going to check out what Ducky has for me. Ziva get everything you can on Fratelli, McGee look in the navy database if there are other foreign marines currently enrolled in the US navy and get me a file on all of them. DiNozzo get in contact with the family; tell them we have their son, maybe they can shed some light on what happened to him. Abby get back to the lab; if there are any other tattoos Ducky will inform you about them." He barked out and left for the autopsy.


	5. Fragments

**Hello all! I managed to write another chapter. I know you hate me that I haven't updated in such a long time, but I hope that it would be easier from now on to write this story. Even though you probably are extremely angry with me I hope you would read, review and enjoy.**

**xoxo LT**

**

* * *

Fragments  
**

She was frenetically hitting her keyboard hoping to get her computer to work faster, yet the blasted device seemed to mock her. Frustrated and full of anger, Ziva David hit her computer yet again and when the monitor suddenly died out she swore loudly in Hebrew, causing both Tony and McGee to look at her.

"I hate this stupid thing, Windows is useless. Am going down to Abby's." she spoke while walking towards the elevator.

* * *

Apart from the dead marine, something was bugging her the whole day. That message, the killer had left in the victims closet had been stuck in her head; like a ghost it came back to her every time she tried to focus on the case.

She kept on running through her head the exact words of the phrase and asking herself every time why it sounded so familiar to her. A shiver went up her spine when she thought about it, and somehow she had a feeling that this was a bad sign. She shook her head and started to run the case through her head again. There had to be a clue that would tell them who the killer was, or what his point was in killing those two men.

The doors finally slid open and what she saw took her by surprise. The usual so hyper Goth was sitting in the middle of her lab, inside a candled circle. Ziva stepped out, more confused by the second, but at the same intrigued by the unusual sight of her friend.

"Abs, what are you doing?" Ziva asked.

"Ziva!" she shrieked, jumping out of the circle. "I'm trying to summon the ghost of our dead marine. I mean John Doe. Maybe he could tell me who did this." She answered serious.

"Abby, is this a joke?" The Mossad office asked, careful not to enrage her friend.

"No, I'm dead serious. I read a book about this kind of stuff. Apparently, dead spirits still hover around their body for a while, trying to separate themselves from their former life. They are highly responsive to mystics so I am trying my luck with our poor fellow."

"Right! But have you gotten anything useful about or John Doe, like a name, or at least could you tell me what the words on the wall mean?" she asked, hoping deep inside that Abby could give her the answer she needed; to reassure that this had nothing to do with her or Tony.

"_Tony and me!? Where this thing popped up into my head. It has nothing to do with Tony and me."_ She said to herself, hoping that it will calm her nerves somehow. Unfortunately I didn't work, she felt the knot in her stomach get tighter.

"_Snap out of it David! Don't be an idiot. This has nothing to do with you or with Tony."_ She said to herself again.

"Nothing yet on our guy. I'm still running his prints through AFIS, but my baby hasn't been able to pick up anything." She said, compassion plastered on her face.

"Ziva, something is bothering you. Are you in pain? What's wrong with you?" The Goth asked concerned.

"I'm fine Abby, just a little bit tiered and still hoping to find out why this guy is after these marines." The assassin responded.

"But that's not all, isn't it? You are worried about something and I can bet you a Caf-Pow that the words written on the bedroom wall still bug you." The hyper active woman spoke.

"No…Yes…No…I mean kind of." The brown haired woman began…"Yeah, it kind of bugs me and I don't really know how. It sounds so familiar to me and I don't know why. I have something that tells me that something is not right."

"Maybe it's our ghost that tells you that." Abby spoke.

"Abby, come on. You can't be serious." Ziva rolled her eyes.

"But Ziva think about it…" the Goth began.

"Bye Abby!" Ziva cut her off and stepped inside the elevator.

Once Ziva was out of sight, Abby stepped inside the candled circle once again.

"Oh mighty spirit of John Doe, speak to me, tell me what happened to you, so we can catch you killer." She began, but nothing happened.

"John Doe, communicate to me, I can help you, I have the power of forensics on my side." She trailed off.

Suddenly the lights went off and on of her computers made a growling sound.

"Hhhello..."Abby said nervously.

The computer made a cracking sound, and Abby jumped out of her circle. Again a loud ping was heard and Abby sprinted out, screaming. "GIBBS!!!!"

The doors slid open yet again, and she could hear his soft voice talking to the dead marine.

* * *

"My dear boy, you had to enrage somebody. Now you got yourself killed and I am here dissecting you like a fly. Did you know that Leonardo Da Vinci started dissecting people so he could find out more about how the human body works. I find it fascinating. He used to…" he trailed away but Ziva's voice made him look up from the corpse he was dissecting.

"Ducky, do you have a minute?" Ziva asked shyly.

"Why of course my dear. What can I do for you?" the Scotsman asked whit his soft voice. Ziva's eyes told him that she wasn't feeling too well, and he was concerned.

"I need you to check my bandages please. I think I am bleeding again." She spoke quietly.

"Right. Let me clean up and I will attend you bandages. Just hop on that free table and I will see what I can do." He said and walked to the autopsy sink to remove his gloves and sterilize his hands. He took his blood stained gurney and put on a fresh pair of gloves.

"Now, pull up you shirt dear and let me take a look at you." His voice reassuring her that she would be fine.

She was right, the bandage was bloody and he grew increasingly worried. After such a long time, Ziva's wound should have been completely healed and not bleeding.

"My dear, you really should go and see your doctor. The bleeding is not good for you, and not normal. He began while taking off the old bandage.

He took a clean one and some disinfectant and cleaned the spot where she had been shot. She winced, but did not say a thing.

"I am terribly sorry my dear." The examiner spoke, while applying a clean bandage on her skin.

"It's fine Ducky. You don't have to worry." She moaned, while trying not to wince under his careful touch.

Just at that moment the autopsy door slid open, only to reveal a tiered and angry looking DiNozzo.

"Ducky, Gibbs sent me…" he began but his sentence remained unfinished when he saw Ziva on the autopsy table. She did not raise her head from the table, so the first thing that ran through his head was that she was dead. His face became white as chalk, and he moved swiftly towards the autopsy table, thousands of thoughts running through his head.

To his relief, she turned her head towards him and gave him a tortured smile.

"Zee, are you ok?" he asked, his heart still skipping a beat.

"Yes, I am fine. Ducky was checking up on me." She replied looking at him, softly caressing his hand.

Tony noticed the bloody bandage that once covered her abdomen.

"You are bleeding again. Why didn't you tell me anything?" he asked concerned.

"Don't worry!! She said but Ducky cut her off.

"Anthony, take her to the hospital as soon as possible. It's not normal that this wound should still be bleeding." The doctor spoke.

Tony only nodded, Ziva tried to stand up in the mean time, but Tony pushed her back down.

For the third time in last hour the autopsy doors opened, revealing an enraged Gibbs.

"What the hell are you all doing here?" he barked

Tony was about to answer him, when Gibbs cut him off yet again.

"Is everybody gone mad today? McGee has problems with his computer, something about a crashing thing, Abby is screaming in the bull pen that her lab is haunted, Ziva lies on an autopsy table and DiNozzo does nothing! We have a dead marine, and a serial KILLER!" he screamed.

"Technically we got to dead marines." Tony spoke.

Gibbs gave him a deadly glare.

"Shutting up boss." Tony said shyly.

"Tell me you have something for me Ducky?" Gibbs turned his attention to the Scotsman.

"My dear Jethro, I can tell you that our marine died of arsenic poisoning, due to ingesting it through chocolate chip cookies. This marine was not stabbed like the other one, his intestines had been cut open and ripped out of his abdomen post mortem." The examiner concluded.

"Any tattoos?" he asked.

"Yes, he has a name tattooed on his forearm. Right her!" the examiner pointed to the marines arm.

"Elzira. What the hell is that?" Gibbs asked annoyed, not really knowing if it was some sort of code or the name of someone.

The autopsy was silent, until Ziva spoke softly.

"Elzira is a Jewish name and it means devoted to God."

"So we can presume our John Doe has a Jewish mother, wife or girlfriend?" Tony concluded.

"Still this doesn't help us to much. Elzira is just a name and nothing more." Gibbs spoke, but he couldn't conclude his thoughts, the annoying ringing of his cell required his full attention.

"Gibbs" he spoke and the team could see his facial expression change with every passing second.

"Gear up" he barked, slamming his phone shot.

* * *

Once in the garage, Gibbs gave Ziva the keys to the van and the address they were heading to. During the hallucinating ride, Gibbs had not spoken a word. Once in a while, the agents could hear him swear under his breath.

Almost an hour later, the van pulled up next to an abandoned shooting range, mere seconds later, the M.E. van arrived as well.

An angry looking man came up to Gibbs and slammed some sort of file into his hand. Gibbs looked puzzled for a second, but he quickly recovered.

"This is all yours. I had enough of this. I think it is time to retire. Just so you know, it's very messy. Poor gal, I have no idea what she did to end up this way." The elderly cop spoke.

The four agents walked up to the shooting range, the M.E.'s quickly followed. Pinned up to the shooting target was the disfigured body of a brown haired woman.

Her face bore the marks of beating, her clothes had been ripped off , her stomach had been sliced open, just like in the other two murder victims. Scattered on the floor were the belongings of her purse. Ziva walked up and picked up a small card.

"Gibbs! We found Elzira Steen." She spoke, her voice a little bit shaky.

Gibbs walked up next to her, and saw that something had been pinned to her right breast. It was a chain that ended in a dog tag.

"Lt. Alberto Rossi." He said and swore under his breath. Now they knew the name of the second murder victim.

Ziva lifted her eyes and her gaze fell on the victim's body. Her right breast was exposed, but her left breast was partially covered, and Ziva could make up scars, or so she thought they were scars. She removed part of Elzira's ripped blouse and could see a sentence carved into her breast.

"_The children of David will be punished"_ she read.

Gibbs, who was standing next to Ziva, saw the shock on her face. Gently he tore her from the vicinity of the victim and called DiNozzo.

"Take her away, Tony!" he said softly.

It was clear to the gray haired agent that their murderer targeted Jews and Italians.

"This is not good." He muttered.

* * *

**Please tell me your oppinion...is this any good?should I continue, or it's a bunch of crap? Review, pleassssse:))**


	6. Fury

**Hey! Back with another chapter...I hope that writing will e easier from now on, but I won't promise anything when it comes to the speed of updates. Thank you very much for putting up with me. Read, review, but most importantly enjoy.**

**xoxo LT  
**

* * *

**Fury**

Almost three weeks had passed since they had found Elzira Steen, the number of victims was growing, yet the team wasn't having any luck in finding the murderer. Three more bodies had been found, two women and a man, all three of them had died of arsenic poisoning and their abdomens had been slashed open. Like the first two murder victims, the man was an Italian marine and the women were both Jewish housewives, all bearing a message containing a threat. Gibbs grew worried with every passing second at the same time he was watching his two agents more carefully, while Tony seemed more concerned about Ziva's mental state. She had been going from being scared, just for a split second, to being angry, to being quiet and absent at times. The Italian had to admit that her sudden anger outbreaks scared him; he had seen her angry in the past, but never like that. The Israeli had thrown all her energy in finding the bastard that did that to the six victims, now lying in Ducky's autopsy. She had been working herself to death, not taking any advice from the team, not asking for help in anything she did. It seemed she was the old and ass kicking Ziva, but almost a week after they had found Elzira's lifeless body, Tony's concern materialized.

Ziva had been working for twenty six hours without a break. She looked pale, sick and exhausted but on top of everything she was angry. Tony had tried to reason with her, get her to go home and rest but the only thing he accomplished was to fuel her anger. She stormed out of the bull pen and he had decided to give her some time to cool down. After being gone for almost two hours, the senior field agent couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong and seemed to fear the worst. He had searched the whole building, but it looked like Ziva had disappeared of the face of the planet. He could feel the panic rise up and decided to search the building again, hoping that she would eventually show up. By now Gibbs, McGee, Abby and Ducky were informed of her absence and were looking for her as well. Suddenly a high pitch scream brought him back from the world of fears he had suck into the moment Ziva had left her desk. He rushed towards the place he heard the scream coming from, only to find a crying Abby and an unconscious Ziva. An ambulance had been called and Tony had accompanied Ziva to the hospital. After being taken care of and medicated she finally regained consciousness and was surprised to find herself in the hospital. When Gibbs had asked her what happened she could only tell him that she had been letting her anger out in the gym, when her stiches had ruptured. At first she had not felt the pain, being pumped with adrenalin, but after she had cooled down and decided to take a shower she had finally noticed her blood soaked t-shirt. From that point on she couldn't recall what had happened to her. The doctor had informed the team that on top of the blood she lost, the body had been struggling with an infection. He told the team that the infection was the reason why the wound did not heal and she had been bleeding occasionally.

The episode in the hospital shock Tony deeply, making him want to protect her even more, not allowing her to work as much. She had spent three days at home, but on the forth day she had returned to work, only to do what she had been doing before her trip to the hospital: work herself to death.

The team was gathered around Gibb's desk, hoping that their boss would have some information for them, so they could continue the investigation. It seemed that their killer was keeping it low, so the team had reached a dead end.

"Go home! All of you. There is nothing that we can do anymore today." Gibbs sighted and studied his teams puzzled expressions.

"Do you want me to change my mind and make you work on cold cases?" he barked and saw amused how the team was running towards their desks to get their gear and leave.

Once back at Tony's apartment, Ziva prepared dinner, while Tony was studying her face. He could see her lips pressed together in a fine line, and the wrinkles on her forehead and next to her mouth. Her body was stiff, and not even his touch could make her loosen up. Now she was letting her whole anger on the poor carrots.

"Ziva, you know I am not a big fan of mashed carrots." He said, trying to provoke her.

She did not raise her eyes from the knife, and continued to chop angrily, increasing her pace.

"Zi…please, talk to me." He spoke softly, but she ignored it, lost in her angry little world.

She suddenly felt two strong hands gripping her white wrists. Surprised she raised her eyes, only to spot a concerned face looking at her. She sighted and leaned into his chest, welcoming his embrace.

"That's my girl! Come on sweet cheeks, give the poor carrots a rest." He spoke taking the knife out of her hand, causing her to smile.

He led her to the couch and made her sit down. She couldn't look him in the eyes, she couldn't talk, and she was only trying to get herself under control.

"I know this case has us all worried, but you have to calm down. Everybody is doing the best they can, and I don't want you to kill yourself with work." He spoke worried, lifting her chin, so their eyes could meet.

He studied her face, and he saw something in her eyes, that scared him. It was something wild, that he had never seen before, something that had a hint of fear.

She looked away, and he grew annoyed with her behavior.

"Why won't you talk to me?" he asked upset, throwing his hands in the air.

She took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes, and parted her lips, but the sound would not come out.

"I'm scared for you." She managed to mumble, but it was faint, and Tony wasn't sure she even said those words.

"Why would you be scared for me?" he asked naively.

She had the impression she couldn't breath, her heart ached. _"How the hell can be so naive? Because there is a damn killer, murdering Italian men and Jewish women, you idiot."_ She screamed in silence.

"In case you haven't noticed Tony there is a killer that targets Italian men and Jewish women." She spoke coldly, sending a shiver up his spine.

"_Damn, this woman can freeze my blood with only a sentence."_ He thought.

"C'mon Ziva, we are federal agents, working in a building full of federal agents. Nothing will happen to us." He explained, trying to grin.

His grin faded, when he saw her angry face.

"Yes Tony, and there is no way in the world that the security in a federal building can be breached, and agents harmed." She spat out.

"Ziva, we should be used to this kind of things. We face danger every day, and this is something that we can't avoid." He argued, coming closer to her.

"Tony, I would like to have a living boyfriend. I do not care too much to have you dead. You are so irresponsible!" she yelled out.

"Whoa! Where did that come from?" he asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"You became reckless, and I am to blame for that." She piped out load.

"I don't get it Ziva." He answered, not sure where this conversation was going.

She came closer caressing his check, looking him in the eyes, and he knew what she meant with her last statement.

"No, you are not doing this." He said, grabbing the hand caressing his face.

"But it's for the best if I leave, if I return to Israel and don't endanger you. You would be safe, my love" She whispered, holding back the tears.

"No! I can take care of myself. I am not letting you go, don't do this Ziva!" he spoke, his voice shacking.

"_She can't be serious, she just can't"_ he tried to convince himself.

"Please, Tony, understand it's the best solution for everyone." She tried to reason with him avoiding his eyes.

"Maybe I should leave then. Maybe I should go to Italy and never come back. How would that sound?" he asked angry.

"I just want you to be safe Tony. I don't want to loose you." She trailed away.

She could see the love and determinacy in his eyes, and her shell broke, her fear escaped through her eyes. She bent her body, snuggling up to him, in his chest and he closed his arms around her, resting his chin on her hair.

"We are in this together, and I got your six, and you have mine. If you leave you kill me." He spoke, playing with a curl.

She cringed, when he spoke and pulled him closer to her, wanting to protect him.

"If anything happens to you, I will die." She spoke between tears.

They stood there not talking, just holding each other. Their fingers found each other, their lips meeting, with passion and hunger.

He picked her up and carried her to his bedroom. Tonight he would hold her, have her, make her his forever and never let her fear for his life again. Tonight she would protect him, love him, and fight for them.

Little did they know that two sets of eyes had been watching them the whole time. Mad lips curled up in a grin, only to let a husky laughter escape them.

"It shall be sweet!" the lips spoke, while the other pair of eyes, never left Ziva's and Tony's tangled bodies.


	7. My father's killing machine

**Hy you guys! It's me again with a long chapter this time. I really hope you like it and thank you again for putting up with me :)) I kind of have the next chapter planned out and I hope I can post it in a few days (I won't promise anything, cuz it never works out :))**

**Read, enjoy and if you want to make me very happy hit that button on the bottom of the page and review.**

**xoxo LT  
**

**

* * *

My father's killing machine**

The elevator chimed, while the steel doors slid open revealing two tiered but content agents.

"Mornin', McGee!" she chirped happily, sliding her bag next to her desk with a hand and waving with the other on.

"Good morning Probielicious!" Tony greeted, flashing a thousand watt grin.

"Good morning you two; what's up with you guys?" he asked suspiciously, eyeing both of them.

"Airplanes are up McGee. Why are you asking such a dumb question?" she replied, frowning.

"It's an idiom, Zee-vha! It's just a question, one I have been asking you constantly, before we…" he trailed away wiggling his eyebrows.

"Ok, I don't wana know what you two did last night." McGee spoke, shaking his head, like he was trying to get the picture of his co-workers having sex in the most outrages positions, out of his head.

"Aww, McGee, but we were only doing what came natural to us." Ziva replied, smirking, while Tony put his feet up on this desk and leaned into his chair, so he could get a better view of a pink turning McGee.

"Yeah, McPink, you should try it as well…it's loads of fun when you do what comes natural to you." Tony grinned.

"Oh, no Tony, that would be bad. What comes natural to McGee is being an… elflord, he would never…"

"If you three don't stop talking and start working, I will do what comes natural to me…fire you all!" Gibbs barked, while putting a cup of coffee on each agent's desk.

They all exchanged looks and then began working frenetically.

The hours passed, and almost no words had been spoken in the bull pen. All four agents were trying to figure out, who might have killed the six victims in such a brutal way, but like in the previous day they were hitting dead ends.

The sudden chiming of the elevator and the sound of stilettos hitting the soft carpet, made all four agents raise their eyes out of their files.

A tall, slender brunet stopped in front of Tony's desk.

"I need your help Tony!" she spoke, catching everybody by surprise.

"Alison, what are you doing here?" he asked surprised, while Ziva was eyeing him suspiciously, and McGee almost fell out of his chair looking at the woman.

"It's Alberto, Tony. He received letters a few weeks ago, letters threatening his life, and our family." She spoke, her eyes scared but determined.

"Hold on! I'm special agent Gibbs. First of all, who are you and second of all DiNozzo, why does she know you?" Gibbs asked, standing up from his chair and coming towards them.

"Oh, sorry boss. This is Alison Meruni; she is married to Alberto Meruni, a buddy of mine from Ohio. He's a…"

"A marine and I think he's in danger." Alison interrupted.

"When did your husband receive these threats, and where is he now?" Gibbs asked.

"He's been called up to Baltimore for a meeting. He left two days ago." She trailed away, and Gibbs noticed something. Alison had something familiar in her posture, in the way she spoke.

All eyes were on Alison, so no one noticed a little girl that walked towards Ziva.

"Up, up!" The little girl cried, stretching her arms towards Ziva.

The assassin smiled at the little brunet girl, with blue eyes and little red lips, who obviously inherited her father's genes. If Alison hadn't mentioned her family and they would have not arrived together, she could have sworn that the woman and child were not even close to been related.

"Shalom tateleh." Ziva spoke and lifted the little girl on her lap.

The little girl clapped and caught one of Ziva's curls in her chubby hand, giving Ziva a huge smile.

"_Her father is definitely Italian_." Ziva thought and smiled, rocking the girl, who placed her head on Ziva's shoulder.

Suddenly Alison spun around and eyed Ziva, walking towards her desk. She had noticed Ziva the moment she had walked into the bull pen, and suspected her to be Israeli. Now she wanted to prove her curiosity.

"Excuse me, could you repeat what you said to my daughter?" she asked cautiously.

Silence settled between the two women. None of the members of the team spoke, waiting for Ziva's answer. Even the young girl in Ziva's arms seemed to understand that something was happening and looked at her mother inquisitively.

"Shalom, tateleh!" Ziva repeated finally, narrowing her eyes.

"Mossad?" Alison asked after a few seconds of carefully studying the woman holding her daughter. _"I was right!"_ Alison said to herself, absorbing every piece of information about Ziva.

Ziva nodded and looked at her suspiciously, while the little girl began mumbling something in Hebrew.

"Who are you?" Alison spoke again.

"Why do you need to know?" she asked annoyed, while putting the little girl on the ground.

One could have cut the tension in the bull pen with a knife. By this time, Tony had risen from his chair and was standing close to Gibbs, both in the near vicinity of the two women; knowing that at one point they might need to step in. McGee was confused and continued to glare at the two from his chair.

"Who are you?" Alison demanded again, her voice revealing a hint of a familiar accent and a harshness that Tony had never seen in his friend's wife.

He grew increasingly worried, and his gut told him that this wouldn't end well.

"Office Ziva David, Mossad." Ziva hissed, rising from her chair.

Alison's daughter had crawled towards McGee's desk and Tim absently raised her on his lap.

Alison, put her hands behind her back, standing stiff before Ziva.

"Office Alissa Rischa!" she spoke solemnly, looking Ziva in the eye…"I heard so much about you, a true legend of Mossad, and of course Deputy Director David's personal killing machine." She spat out, waiting to see a reaction from Ziva.

The team held their breath, Gibbs and Tony exchanged a worried look; all three of them were waiting for Ziva's outbreak, but to their surprise she only glared at the brunet woman.

"_What do you want?"_ Ziva asked in Hebrew.

"_Help from you, to protect my husband and my family."_ Alison replied in Hebrew as well.

"_Why isn't Mossad helping you? You are an agent and you have the right to ask of them to protect you, or give you the needed intel to protect them on your own."_ Ziva answered, walking around the much taller woman.

"_Mossad's intel, told me that __you__ might be of more assistance to me. If I am not mistaken you have on your hands six dead bodies, three Italian males and three Jewish females."_ Alison replied, her eyes never leaving Ziva's face.

Suddenly Ziva stepped forward, her face dangerously close to the other woman's face, fury present in the liaison's eyes.

"How does Mossad know, what NCIS holds in its autopsy? Who are you?" Ziva demanded harshly.

"Zi…" Tony began, but he swallowed the rest of his words, when he saw Ziva's enraged features.

Gibbs and McGee only looked at the two women not able to move, or say anything. Gibbs knew that he had to put a stop to this discussion before they killed each other. Ziva rarely displayed this amount of anger.

"Are you a mole, officer Rischa?" Ziva asked bluntly.

"How can you ask something like that? My husband and my daughter might be in danger and you are concerned of a security breach?" Alison yelled back, not believing what the Director's daughter was accusing her off, not believing that she had asked that and not the ware bouts of her husband.

"Of course I am concerned, _officer_. What is the first rule of Mossad?" Ziva asked sharply, anger vibrating out of every pore of her body.

By this point Gibbs had had enough and wanted to step in, but a cold glare from Ziva's side, made him return to his initial position.

"I am not a mole officer David, I just need help and Mossad can't help me." She trailed away.

"Once Mossad, always Mossad, and they would help you. You are metsada, but you have become weak." She spat out, looking at the enraged woman in front of her, whose hands were gradually clutching into fists.

"It is true; you are like your father." She spat out, throwing a punch towards Ziva's face.

Before the others could react, Ziva caught her fist, her face undisturbed. Swiftly Ziva twisted Alison's hand and slamming her against her desk.

"_Never, ever try to hurt me. Like you said, I am my father's killing machine and I will not hesitate to hurt you next time. I don't like your attitude, I don't like you at all, but I will do everything in my power to help your family."_ She spoke in Hebrew, freeing Alison, who obviously was in pain.

"Enough!" both Gibbs and Jenny spoke.

"Ziva, she knows of the bodies, because I have contacted your father. I have spoken to him about the crimes, and he probably briefed others in." Jenny spoke, from the balcony.

"And you haven't cared to fill Ziva or me in on this tiny detail? It would have been interesting to actually start my day, without my agent almost fracturing somebody's arm." Gibbs spat, looking Jenny in the eyes.

"What I wish to inform you and your team, is my business _agent _ Gibbs." She replied coldly.

Gibbs swore under his breath, tearing his eyes from the balcony and looking at his team, studying their faces.

"Ziva go and cool down; DiNozzo, go with her!" Gibbs barked.

She left her desk, her eyes, hard as steel. Tony followed, his eyes concerned, but at the same time curious.

He kept replaying Alison's words in his head _"a true legend…Deputy Director David's personal killing machine"_. No one had noticed, what impact Alison's words had upon Ziva; no one except him.

For a split second, Ziva's pupils dilated in horror, and she balled her hand into a fist.

They had reached the men's restroom, and Ziva stormed in, kicking the bin angrily.

"Ziva, calm down!" he said, grabbing her arms, while she was looking for something else to hit.

"I can't Tony. I just can't. I am so angry, I could…" she began, but Tony put a finger on her lips.

"I know, Ziva! But you can't do anything, and if I let you walk out of here, you would kill both Alison and Jenny." He spoke softly.

"Jenny did not even bother to tell me, that she had spoken to my father about this. Why she had spoken to him about the whole investigation is a mystery to me." She replied, looking him in the eyes.

"Yeah, but that doesn't bother you that much, does it." Tony began, knowing that he was getting himself into unfriendly territory.

She didn't speak for a second just studied his face, but then turned away, freeing herself from his hold. Ziva walked over to the nearest wall, and slid down, looking at her hands.

For a while she didn't speak, and Tony didn't really know what to say. He sat down next to her, waiting for her to speak.

_**Flashback**_

"_Officer David, this is your target." Eli David spoke, showing her a picture of a man hugging his wife and cradling an infant."_

"_Director David, I it just the man I am supposed to terminate?" Ziva asked her father, her features never showing emotions._

"_No! I want all three of them eliminated!" Eli yelled, and she only nodded._

"_Eli are you insane? The boy is seven months old, must he die as well?" Officer Bashan asked from his spot. _

_He was sitting next to Eli's desk looking both at Ziva and Eli, studding their rock like features._

"_I am not. These are my orders." He spoke harshly._

"_Ziva, think about it. You are killing an innocent boy; you will have his blood on your hands." Bashan tried again._

"_These are my orders; I shall do as I am told. Their history, their lives and innocents does not concern me. If I have been given the mission to terminate them, then they must be guilty of some sort of crime. I do not care, orders are orders." She spoke and walked out of her father's office._

_From the corner of her eye she could see Eli's proud and happy face. She had taken the right decision._

_**End of Flashback**_

"All my life I have been trained to be the best, to kill when I am told to kill. My father saw it as his only goal to train me, to turn me into his killing machine, just like Alison had said it." She finally spoke.

"When Tali died, my father "advised" me that my time had come and I couldn't run away from it any more; Mossad need me. So I began training with every existing type of weapon available, I began studying every form of martial arts. Before I came to NCIS, I had received the highest rank of metsada, I became equal to my father, speaking from the point of view of my skills. I used to be proud of this Tony, I used to be glad that I was that good, because I knew that I had ensured a couple of more years of my life and I knew that I would never screw up a mission." She trailed away, looking at the washroom cubicles.

"Zi…" Tony spoke softly, grabbing her hand.

"Then I came here, to America and everything changed. Step by step, this shell I have put on slipped away and I had become what I was before Mossad. I was allowed to live again, and I started to feel uncomfortable when it came to my past and what I have done. Day by day I managed to detach myself from my history and focus on the moments here with you, with the team, with my time as an investigator. When Alison spoke does words, my past came back to me, haunting me and I knew I could never run away from it; never escape my reputation as a killing machine." She sighted tiered.

"Ziva, understand this. What you have done is in the past and you have to try to put it behind you, there is no way you can change it. Now you have a life here; you have us, your family that loves you no matter what your past is." He spoke, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles.

She smiled and looked at his face.

"Ani Ohev Otach, Tony." She spoke, placing a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth.

"I love you too Ziva." He spoke looking at her.

"No let's get back to work and try to figure out, if our killer is after Alberto or not.

They stepped into the bull pen, only to spot that McGee was typing furiously, Gibbs was barking orders and Alison was holding her crying daughter on her lap.

"What do we got?" Tony asked.

"Alison tried to call her husband, but it goes directly to voice mail. I am trying to pin point his location, and see when he used it the last time." McGee updated.

"Alissa did your husband tell you who he was supposed to meet in Baltimore?" Ziva asked the woman.

"He told me, he was supposed to meet General Mitchell and that he was supposed to meet two other comrades, but he did not specify names." She answered shortly.

Got the number of General Mitchell, boss." Tony said, handing Gibbs a piece of paper.

He quickly typed in the phone number and waited for the General to answer.

"_General Mitchell here._" Gibbs heard.

"This is special agent Gibbs from, NCIS, calling for some answers. I will put you on speaker so my team can hear you." Gibbs spoke, putting the General on speaker and not waiting for his consent.

"How may I help NCIS, special agent Gibbs?"

"General, are you supposed to meet a Lt. Meruni and some of his comrades in Baltimore this week?" Gibbs asked.

"Lt. Meruni is on leave as far as I know, and was supposed to report back in three weeks. He has been out at see for four months and has asked for two months of personal time with his family. I have not spoken to him since he has reported back from the U.S. Shadow." He spoke, while the team exchanged concerned looks, Alison began to shack and the small girl began sobbing in her mothers arms.


	8. Numi Numi

**Hy! I'm back with another chapter. I was kind of stuck with this, but this story is finally starting to unfold in my head. I hope I can come up with another chapter pretty soon.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS, I don't own anything except a laptop and an imagination. **

**Read, enjoy and make me happy by pressing the lovely button at the bottom of the page. **

**xoxo LT**

* * *

**Numi, Numi**

She was pacing in the bull pen, looking nervously towards Tony, hoping her husband's friend could actually giver some sort of reassurance that the love of her life would be fine. Unfortunately Tony's features were tense and he did not bother to look up to her.

"_He is worried."_ She thought, understanding that Tony could not reassure her, because he himself was not sure that Alberto would manage to get out of this alive. She continued to study his features and she had to admit that if it would not have been for Alberto to conquer her heart, she definitely would have tried to seduce Tony. His firm jaw, his full lips, his piercing green eyes fascinated her, sending a shiver down her spine. Yes, Anthony DiNozzo was a gorgeous, gorgeous man that probably had made many women scream out in pleasure, and at one point he would make one very lucky woman very, very happy.

Her eyes wondered through the room, only to spot her daughter, next to Ziva's desk playing with a doll. She couldn't suppress a smile when she saw the way the little girl furrowed her eye brows while trying to dress her doll in a pink skirt. _"Exactly like her father."_ Alison thought.

Slowly her eyes wondered towards Ziva, only to spot a hard working Israeli. Her nose was almost touching the screen of her computer, her forehead was wrinkled and her mouth was pressed in one firm line. Deep down, Alison felt bad for what she had said to Ziva. She knew she had no right to speak does words, and she understood what impact they would have upon her. Over the years Alison discovered that being in a different country, and not having to fight for your life every day, changed a person. She had received the same training as Ziva, but when she had come to the States, and began working for the embassy, she slowly started to become more human, let her guard down and then fell in love. Over the years she had cut all ties to Mossad, went so far in even changing her name from Alissa to Alison. The former Mossad officer had wanted to forget her past and all she had done; her only wish was to become a regular American housewife. Before Dani had been born she used to work at the embassy, but after the small bundle of joy came into her life, she decided that her family needed her more then the job, so she quit and stayed at home. Now her little American dream, her perfect life was falling to pieces and she had to rely once again on her Mossad training just to be able to keep it together.

The clock on his computer indicated 2 AM, and he was struggling to keep his eyes open and fix at his computer. He had been hacking into different American and Italian data bases all day until midnight, then he tried to crack Mossad's data base hoping that he could get a break through in the case. To his frustration the damn firewall could not be cracked by his skills and McGee was very close to smashing his baby. He obviously couldn't ask the daughter of the Deputy Director of Mossad to help him do something illegal. She would probably say no and then murder him painfully, but not leave a trace of his existence. No, asking Ziva for help was definitely a bad idea. Damn Gibbs and his sneaky methods that were turning him into a criminal. He rubbed his temples and looked around the bull pen. Tony was talking on the phone, in Italian he noticed. He had been quiet the whole day; no movie references, no fighting with Ziva, or at least be obnoxiously in love with her, nothing. The Italian was focused and he had been working without a break the whole day. The only times he would stand up from his chair was when they would suggest a name of a potential suspect. He and Ziva would go and question him, but they turned back to the navy yard empty handed every time. McGee became aware of how annoyed Tony was getting, when he slammed the phone shut and swore in Italian.

McGee's eyes glided towards his right only to see Alison with her head on her arms. She had fallen asleep, and Tim could see that the corner of her eye was wet, indicating that the poor woman had cried herself to sleep. Although she was Mossad, Alison was the exact opposed of Ziva. The signs of her Mossad training were still visible at times, but she tried very hard to hide them. Her accent had almost disappeared completely; the only thing that gave her origin away was the angry conversation between her and Ziva and when she had tried to attack his Israeli colleague. However the young agent preferred Ziva's cool attitude in time of danger. He knew that she was worried, but nothing in her attitude or facial expression gave that away, making her in a way more capable of assessing the situation.

His gaze then stopped on the liaison officer, and what he saw brought a smile to his tensed face. She, the hard Israeli assassin was holding Alison's little girl on her lap, playing with her hair and speaking soft words to her. The young girl had been restless the whole day, walking from one agent to another, and demanding attention from her tiered mother. They all had tried to take care of the little girl, make her not notice the tight atmosphere in the office, but the child detected that something was wrong and at a regular interval would break into tears. It seemed that the young girl had started whipping again, but Alison was in no state of comforting her, so the girl had shifted her attention, to another woman who could speak the language her mother did.

Dani, McGee had managed to squeeze out the name of the young child from her mother during the evening, had placed her head on Ziva's chest, holding on to a curl, while her eyelashes fluttered. Ziva on the other hand started to sing her a song. McGee was fascinated by Ziva's sweet and smoothening voice.

"Numi, numi yaldati,  
Numi, numi, nim.  
Numi, numi k'tanati,  
Numi, numi, nim."

By this time, McGee turned his head and spotted Tony, hanging up the phone for the millionth time this day and concentrating on Ziva and the child. The light was dim, and one could recognise her relaxed features, while she was rocking the little girl, who was about to fall asleep.

"Aba halach la'avoda -  
Halach, halach Aba.  
Yashuv im tzeit halevana -  
Yavi lach matana!"

None of the agents had spotted Gibbs, who was leaning against one of the cubicle's walls and smiling at the imagine enfolding in front of his eyes. His gaze moved quickly from one agent to another, and he had to recognize that this assassin, holding the sleeping child in her arms, was the most breath taking image he had seen since his family had passed away. He could see how shocked McGee was by this scene, and he had to hold back a chuckle. McGee was intimidated by Ziva, and he was sure that he could have never imagined such a scene. He had noticed that Tony was looking at his partner, a soft smile glazing his lips. Gibbs had a pretty good idea what went on inside of Tony's head, and he fought back the urge of petting the back of his head. He knew that DiNozzo had changed and he was pretty sure that senior field agent would be a good father one day. The silver haired agent then noticed Alison, who was rubbing her eyes. She seemed shocked by seeing such an unusual picture. He had understood what Alison had told Ziva earlier that day, and it pained him to know that Ziva was still haunted by the ghosts of her past.

"Numi, numi...

Aba halach el hakramim -  
Halach, halach Aba.  
Yashuv im tzeit ha cochavim -  
Yavi lach anavim!

Numi, numi... "

"_I want that. I want her holding my child in her arms."_ Tony though while enjoying the scene enfolding in front of his eyes. He had heard Ziva's beautiful soft voice, and was mesmerized by it instantly. She looked relaxed and peaceful, and one could see the gentleness in her eyes, while rocking the sleeping bundle. Once in a while she would remove a strain of Dani's hair and caress her soft features. Dani would twitch under her touch and burry her head deeper in Ziva's chest, never letting go of her hair.

"_I want a little girl, one that should look just like her mother. I want a daughter that could be just like Ziva, talk like her mother, laugh like her mother, hell even kill like her mother."_ Tony though; his eyes never leaving Ziva's frame. He knew that he wanted a relationship with Ziva, he knew that he loved her, but now it become oh so clear to him. He wanted Ziva to become more, he wanted Ziva to be the mother of his children and he wanted her to sing such lullaby's to his baby.

"Aba halach el hapardes -  
Halach, halach Aba.  
Yashuv ba'erev im haruach -  
Yavi, yavi tapuach!

Numi, numi... "

It felt so right to her, so natural, like she wasn't Mossad, like she wasn't an NCIS liaison officer, like she wasn't a killer. This was something she had always wanted, something that she knew she could never have. Her father had made it so clear to her years ago, that she should never bear children, give birth to them or even consider a possibility of settling down and having a family of her own.

No, Mossad had made it clear a long time ago that she belong to them and no one could ever give her what her heart desired so much. Yet here she was craddeling a scared little girl, who was missing her father, who was too little to understand what was going one, yet it seemed that she knew the danger her parents were in.

Dani parted her lips and her breath was steady indicating that she was sleeping peacefully. Ziva tried to loosen Dani's grip on her hair, but then only reaction was her stirring and tightening the grip on Ziva's hair, while putting her tinny hand on Ziva's chest.

Ziva could feel Dani's heart beat, and she tightened the grip on the little girl, keeping her warm. Another smile graced her lips and she gently removed another strain of hair from the girls face. She placed a soft kiss on her forehead, while singing the last part of the lullaby.

"Aba halach el hasadeh -  
Halach, halach Aba.  
Yashuv ba'erev im tz'lalim -  
Yavi lach shibolim! "

The bullpen slipped back into silence, but nobody wanted to disrupt the few minutes of peace still floating in the air of the quiet NCIS building.

Ziva raised her eyes from the sleeping form and met Tony's gaze. She was stunned when she saw Tony's face. She saw a sparkle in his eyes, something she had never seen before and somehow it made her feel warm inside.

McGee's eyes glided back to Gibb' desk and saw Alison move her tiered body towards Ziva's desk.

"Toda Ziva." She softly spoke, forcing Ziva to break eye contact with Tony and look Alison in the eyes.

"Al-Lo-Davar." Ziva replied, looking again at the sleeping form.

"Slih'a Ziva." Alison began "I had no right to say those words to you today. I was wrong and I hope you can forgive me. I had thought that you were exactly like others have described you, but I was so terribly wrong, You have been more then understanding when it comes to my behaviour and you have been nothing but kind to Dani. I am in your debt." She continued in Hebrew.

Ziva smiled softly and nodded, and it seemed that the tension present in the room the whole day disappeared.

"Ziver, could you take Dani down to the lab. I want you all back here in an hour. Go grab some coffee." Gibbs spoke, still looking at the sleeping child.

Ziva carefully stood up and walked towards the elevator. Tony's eyes met hers, and he swiftly stood up and walked behind her. He caught up with her in the elevator, sliding in just before the door closed.

Once inside the elevator he couldn't take his eyes off of his lover.

She shifted her body so she could meet his gaze, but suddenly his lips touched her forehead. She closed her eyes, coming closer towards him, both careful not to crush or wake the sleeping form.

"You know, you look perfect with Dani in your arms." Tony spoke, stepping back from her. She only blushed and turned towards the door, waiting for the elevator to stop.

"I only hope that one day it's going to be our little girl that you will hold in your arms." He spoke before the doors opened. Ziva's face turned towards him and met his gaze. She could see that his words were sincere and her hear skipped a beat.

"I love you." She softly spoke before stepping out of the elevator.

* * *

**A/N **Al-Lo-Davar= You're welcome

Slih's= Sorry

The song is called _Numi Numi_ meaning Sleep, sleep. Here is the translation.

Sleep, sleep, my little girl.  
Sleep, sleep.  
Sleep, sleep, my little one,  
Sleep, sleep.

Daddy's gone to work -  
He went, Daddy went.  
He'll return when the moon comes out -  
He'll bring you a present!

Sleep, sleep...

Daddy went to the vineyards -  
He went, Daddy went.  
He'll return when the stars come out -  
He'll bring you grapes!

Sleep, sleep...

Daddy went to the orchard -  
He went, Daddy went.  
He'll return in the evening with the wind -  
He'll bring an apple!

Sleep, sleep...

Daddy went to the field -  
He went, Daddy went.  
He'll come back in the evening with the shadows -  
He'll bring you ears of grain!


	9. The Dragon and the Assassin

**Hello, and here I am with another chapter. I presume most of you hate me and want to kill me, but I have some good news for you. I have the next chapter done. However I have a favour to ask before I post it...REVIEW please :))I know some of you got bored by my long absence but I would still be very very happy if you could tell me, if you like it or it's crap. Anyway enjoy :))**

**xoxo LT  
**

**

* * *

The Dragon and the Assassin**

Abby woke when something soft brushed her cheek. Slowly she fluttered her eye lids open, only to spot two bright chocolate eyes staring back at her in amazement. The usually hyper Goth, could only glare back at the small creature with the intriguing shy smile. Slowly Abby raised her right hand and let her fingers come in contact with the rosy cheek of the small girl.

Dani let out a shy giggle and Abby's smile brightened. She had to admit that the little girl fascinated her; she had the impression she was looking at a tame, shy mini Ziva. Although the girl did not bare any resemblance to the Mossad liaison officers, Abby still preferred to believe that this small girl is a mirror into Ziva's past.

"You have nice hair." Dani spoke softly and Abby chuckled.

"Would you like me to braid yours, Dani?" The Goth asked, already certain of the answer.

Dani squealed and jumped to her feet, while Abby rose from her lying position and turned her back to the huge love seat she had in her office. With her back slumped against it, the Goth crossed her legs Indian style, and patted her lap. Without further explanation Dani made herself comfortable in Abby's lap and picked up Bert on the way.

"Do you know a story Abby?" Dani asked, still focused on the farting hippo.

"Ahm…yeah…sort of; but what would you like to hear?" the forensic scientist asked, unsure.

"With princesses and dragons and lots of fairies."

"_Oh boy! She wants to hear that kind of story. Crap! Why wasn't I paying attention when they though the basics of telling stories. Crap!"_ the Goth though anxiously while combing Dani's hair.

"Well, ahm… let's see. Once upon a time there was this beautiful princess, who lived in a land far far away. She was beautiful and smart and her name was…ahm…her name was..."Abby trailed away, trying to come up with a suitable name.

"Dani!" the girl squeaked.

"Yeah, that's right. Her name was Dani. So princess Dani was sitting on a bench one day, in the park of her castle, minding her own business, when suddenly this huge, mean, dark, flaming throwing dragon appeared and he... Oh…hey Gibbs." Abby greeted looking at the gray haired agent.

* * *

"Ziva, are you feeling ok?" Tony asked concern written all over his beautiful features.

"Fine, Tony just a little bit tiered." She smiled back.

"I'm going with Alison to get some coffee from the wending machine, would you like some." He asked crouching down next to her chair.

She nodded in response, and he brushed a strain of hair and tucked it behind her ear.

"Ok, I'll be right back. I think I need to get one for Probie as well. If Gibbs sees him sleeping on the job, he will have his head." Tony chuckled, looking at the younger agent twitch in his sleep.

Ziva giggled at the thought of Gibbs killing McGee causing Tony to smile softly.

"I will be right back sweetcheeks." He said kissing, Ziva on her soft hair.

* * *

Once out of sight, Ziva placed her head on her arms. She thought of dozing off for a few seconds, until Tony brought her coffee. Her eyes shut and she thought about how she would take a bath and get some proper sleep after this case was going to be wrapped up. Her pleasant dreams were cut off by the irritating vibration of her phone. Her head shot up and she picked up her phone. Ziva frowned annoyed when she saw that the called id was hidden; in spite of her better judgment she answered.

"David."

"_Hello officer David"_ a low voiced spoke.

"Who is this?" she trailed away.

_Always so inpatient. What happened to old fashioned courtesy of saying hello officer David?"_ the voice spoke.

"I would greet you properly if I would get a name first." She continued, but a harsh laugh stopped her from adding anything else.

"_My name is not important Ziva, but what I hold in my possession might be of some interest to you. I think your friend Alison would like to get her precious Alberto back."_

"So you have not sliced him open yet. How thoughtful of you." She bit back.

"_Tsa-tsa! Now why on earth would I want to do that. This man has family, and I presume his wife and child would like to have him back in one piece."_

"What do you want?" Ziva spoke harshly.

"_A trade."_

"Be more specific. What kind of trade?"

"_In exchange for lt. Meruni's life I want… you Ziva David."_

She bit back a threat and tried to get her breathing under control. Why wasn't she surprised? Her gut had told her all along that this had something to do with her.

"Why me?" she finally managed to say, quickly looking over at McGee's desk to make sure that he was still asleep.

"_Because it is only fair. You took what's mine and I will take what is yours."_ The voice spoke, and Ziva could finally notice that it was a male voice.

"What have I taken from you? Who are you?"

"_Patience my dear. You will find out in due time. Now listen carefully."_ The voice instructed.

* * *

"Anthony, I need to ask you something?" Alison spoke

"Shoot."

"You, love her, don't you?" She said, leaning on the vending machine, sipping from her styrofoam cup.

Tony, nervously brushed his right eye brow, letting out a nervous laugh.

"Is it that obvious?" he finally asked.

"No. But don't forget I am Mossad." She spoke, taking another sip from the cheap liquid.

"Heh. I always forget that. Yeah, Alison, I love her. She means the world to me." He spoke, and it felt right to say it out loud.

The truth had scared him for a while, but now he knew that this was something he wanted to share with the rest of the world. He Anthony DiNozzo, notorious womanizer, was in love with Ziva David, the dangerous Mossad assassin.

"Well, I'm glad for the both of you. I think you can make each other very happy." Alison said softly.

"Thanks Alison. You were wrong about her. She's not the same person anymore. Ziva changed so much over the past couple of years." Tony's piercing eyes, making his point known.

"I know Tony. Believe me, I know." She replied ashamed of the words she had thrown in Ziva's face earlier.

"I think we should get back. Gibbs could be back any minute, and I really need to wake McGeek up, or Gibbs will kill him brutally." Tony laughed, grabbing another cup of coffee for the younger agent.

* * *

"I hope you all have something for me, or else…" Gibbs spoke, letting his words sink in, but awaiting a response from his tiered agents.

Ziva looked around the office, hoping that she wouldn't be required to lie to the team. She hated this plan, but she knew it was the only way, to make sure that Alberto will not be killed and that the man, who called himself The Dragon, will not blow up the whole damn NCIS building or the surrounding area.

She slowly rose from her chair and walked over to the plasma, at the same time noticing the four sets of eyes were watching her every move.

"They have made contact, around thirty minutes ago. A man, which calls himself The Dragon has called me and demanded money, more precisely ten billion Euros for the release of Alberto Meruni. They will meet **me** at Alison's house at 10:00 o'clock this morning. Alison and Dani will come along, but no other agent is allowed to follow us. If any NCIS, FBI agent or the local Leo's tail us and move in, the Dragon will blow up the whole neighborhood. He's not playing, and my stupid mistrust forced him to prove it." She spoke, while turning the plasma on, and increasing the volume. ZNN, was covering a recent incident; two burning building, both in the DC suburbs.

The team watched the unfolding scene in horror.

"Like I said, he is not joking. He told me that he made sure that the homes were empty…this time. If we don't give him what he wants, this will go on. If I don't show up with Alison and Dani, The Dragon will kill Alberto and with each passing hour he will blow up a house, until he receives his money." She trailed away, her confidence shacking on the inside, but she let no sign of distress puncture her perfect mask.

"McGee, did you trace the call?" Gibbs spat out angry, his eyes never leaving Ziva's face.

"I..I.." McGee began

"He was using the restroom during that time Gibbs." Ziva lied, but she winced internally when she saw Gibb's hard expression. She knew that he didn't buy the story, but was relieved to see that he decided to drop it. From the corner of her eye, she noticed McGee breath in relief, and a tiny smile adorned her features.

Ziva managed to tear her eyes, from Gibb's piercing gaze and looked around the bull pen. Alison looked relieved, Abby was holding Dani, but her features were tense and there was Tony. She noticed the struggle going on inside his head; she wanted to reassure him that everything was going to be fine, but she didn't believe it herself.

Slowly she walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

Taking a deep breath, she decided to do what was best for them…lie.

"Tony, I will be fine. I am Mossad; what on earth could happen to me?"

"_I'm sorry Tony. I hate lying to you, but it's better like this. No innocent people need to die, because I saved my life."_ She though, while she spoke the other words.

"Ziva, I'm not letting you get in there by yourself. I don't want anybody harming you, and I am your partner after all." He explained, pulling her towards him.

"Nothing will happen to me Tony. Please, let me do what he instructed me to do. No one will get hurt, Alberto will be reunited with his family and we can finally go home and get some proper sleep." She spoke, determined.

Before Tony could protest, Gibb's booming voice caught their attention.

"Ziver, gear up. You're going in." He sighted. One could see that he was not particularly happy about this.

She only nodded and slipped away from Tony's embrace before he could restrain her. The Israeli moved towards her desk and opened up the last drawer from her desk. A small suite case came into view. The boys looked at it intrigued, but Alison did not bother to glare at Ziva's actions of her black suite case. She already knew what the small suite case contained.

Ziva unzipped the small container and took out four small knifes, two small guns and the amo for it, plus two other large guns with silencers. Once her gear was removed from their container, she took her sweater off, remaining in a thin cotton top. She turned around, pulling her top up and securing two thin satin belts across her chest and abdomen, then attached one of the larger guns, the silencer and a knife to her chest. She pulled her top back down, and got a black turtle neck sweater from one of her drawers. Swiftly she spun around only to unzip her boots. With precise movements, she pulled a thin layer of fabric from the inner part of her right and left boot. Ziva attached two other knifes in there and then pealed the fabric over them; nothing could be noticed, the knifes were close to the upper part of the boots, next to the zippers, making it easy for Ziva to reach them. Quickly she zipped up her boots and then marched towards the lady's room.

"I really don't want to know where she'll be putting three other guns, a silencer, the amo for that and another knife." Tony said swallowing hard.

"Oh, Ziva is only taking the minimum of weapons on this mission." Alison spoke, without looking up from her daughter.

The three men looked at each other, shacking their heads, while gathering their gear.

When Ziva emerged from the ladies room her features were relaxed. No one in the room could imagine the battle going on inside Ziva's heart. She wanted to tell them, beg them to help her, but she couldn't risk their lives, she couldn't ask them to endanger themselves for her; instead she smiled, sneaking her hand into Tony's. A weak smile plastered his lips, so she squeezed his hand.

* * *

Ziva stood upright and still, looking at the empty road. Three more minutes until The Dragon would make an appearance. She checked her watch again, and looked behind her again. Alison held the same position as Ziva did, one arm around Dani and the other one, making sure that her gun was loaded. Ziva smiled and nodded encouraging her Mossad mate.

The assassin's gaze swept the neighborhood, waiting to spot her executioner; she managed to see the reflexion of Gibb's sedan in the window of a small house. The car was strategically position, but very well hidden from plain sight. She knew that in case of a shooting they could reach them in a few seconds.

Ziva checked her watch again, only to see that it was 10 o'clock sharp.

"Show time." She spoke softly so that only Alison could hear her.

The roar of a car made Ziva's head snap up. From the mist of the morning a black SUV emerged.


	10. Fireworks

**I'm back, with a new chapter. First of all, thank you very much for the lovely reviews. It seems that you guys haven't grown bored with my lack of updates :)) Again I am sorry for making you wait for so long for a new chapter. So, here it is, the new chapter in its full glory. Read, please review but most importantly enjoy :))**

**xoxo LT  
**

**

* * *

Fireworks**

Alison tried to regulate her breathing, but she couldn't manage to get herself under control. The fact that her husband was in that SUV and she had to take care of her daughter as well scared her. Mossad had thought her to take care of herself, but at the moment her training seemed useless. Now she was holding on to a gun, while her daughter was shacking in her arms. In front of them, the legend of Mossad was standing motionless looking at the rolling SUV. No emotion crossed her features; her eyes were steel, making Alison shudder involuntarily.

Agonizing seconds past until the SUV came to a sudden stop. The rear doors popped open and three men stepped out, followed by two others.

The two large men, who Ziva believed to be the Dragon's bodyguards swiftly, grabbed the arms of a bloody man. Ziva assumed that would be Alberto, but did not grant him a second look. Her attention was captured by another man, with Asian features. He was tall, slender, wearing a long coat and his eyes were hidden away by a pair of sunglasses. The Dragon came closer, followed by his companions, hairy brutes that seemed to desire one thing, crush anything that would cross their path. The five men, plus the more dead then alive frame of Alberto stopped in front of Ziva.

"Ah, you must be officer David." The Asian spoke, sliding his sunglasses to the tip of his nose.

"You are correct. Now, I want to get down to business. Give me Alberto, and you may have your money." She hissed, never taking her eyes away from the Asian's face.

"Why, aren't we a little bit hasty? I was told I would have the pleasure of talking to you, not receiving orders from you." He grinned.

She ignored his comment, although she knew exactly what he meant by "talking". He had brought his brutes to fight her, and not take her away. Whoever had instructed this man, wanted her dead, nothing more.

"If you would like to speak to me, then introduce yourself. Are you the same one I have spoken on the phone?" she asked, quickly eyeing the house window. She could see that the three agents were coming closer to meeting place.

"Why, of course. Where are my manners; my name is Sensei, the Dragon's disciple. You have spoken to my master." He smiled, taking Ziva's hand into his.

Alison hissed, Ziva held his breath, while the gorillas grabbed Alberto tighter.

Sensei kissed Ziva's hand and then leaned closer.

"Let's make this quick and painless. My men will attack you, and you will not fight them. If you do, I will kill the marine and then will kill the child." He spoke into her ear.

Ziva felt her heart jump out of her chest; she could feel her mask slipping away. She knew that there was no way she could take down all five men, save Alberto, Dani and make it out alive. Even if Alison would help her, they didn't really stand a chance.

She nodded reluctantly and saw that Sensei pulled away from her.

Another quick glare towards the NCIS car revealed that the three agents were very close. She met Gibb's glare, and he reassured her, giving her the strength to speak.

"You will receive your money, when you free Alberto and let them leave the neighbourhood. If not, we don't have a deal." She spoke, her eyes sparkling with fury.

She was fed up with this game, and she'll be damned if she would go down without a fight.

Sensei let out a groggy laugh and took his sunglasses from his face.

"My dear Ziva, I don't think you are in the position of making any demands here. You want Alberto, bring me the money." He spat out, angry that he couldn't get through to her. To be more convincing he pushed Alberto to his knees, mumbling something to his gorillas. Immediately a gun was pointed to Alberto's head making Alison hiss, Dani cry and Ziva clench her jaw.

The Israeli was displeased with this twist, she knew she was playing with Alberto's life, but she needed to prolong this game a little longer until Gibbs and the others would get to her. It was the only way to save the marines life and her own, so she decided she would play it risky, not give Sensei what he was instructed to take, or kill.

"I am not impressed Sensei. Kill Alberto and you will not see your money; pull the trigger and you would be dead before the smoke could clear from the barrel of your gun."

"Give. Me. My. Money." The Asian hissed, while the brute removed the safety from the gun with a loud click.

"You want your money? Come and get it!" She spoke, while stepping closer to the man.

Instantly two guns were pointed to her head, but she didn't twitch, she just stared at him.

"You do not want this money, we both know it. You were instructed to get me, so lets stop this nonsense and let Lt. Meruni walk away with his family." She murmured still staring into Sensei's eyes.

"I was told to get you Officer David, but no one told me I wasn't allowed to have a little fun while I was here." He smirked.

From then corner of her eye, she saw Gibbs approaching from behind the concentrated group of men. On his right Tony approached the bodyguard who was standing further away from the group and next to the SUV, while McGee crept from the left, gun prepared for an attack.

A smirk escaped her lips and she decided to play her last card.

"Then I'll suggest you say your last prayer Sensei, because you are going straight to hell." She spoke, pointing a gun to his face.

"NCIS! Drop your weapons!" Ziva heard.

Before the Sensei or any of the bodyguards could react a gun shot was fired. Dani screamed, while Alison pushed her into a bush.

The motion distracted Ziva, making her peel her eyes away from the Asian. He grabbed the opportunity and gripped her neck, lifting her off the ground. Another gunshot echoed and another bodyguard fell to the ground.

Ziva struggled to get free from the Asian's iron grip, but he did not let go of her. From the corner of her eye she managed to spot Alison supporting Alberto, while they fled, and McGee picking up Dani from the bushes. Gibbs and Tony were hidden away from her vision, by the Asian's body, but she could hear the struggle and she knew that they were fighting the remaining two bodyguards.

She was running out of air, and her vision was blurring, yet she decided she wouldn't drift into the darkness.

"I will kill you myself. They told me to bring you back alive, but I want you dead, you little Mossad bitch." He snorted out, sending Ziva into frenzy.

With her last strength she reached her belt and pulled out a small knife. The assassin gasped for air, distracting the crazed Sensei and plunged the knife into his side. Baffled by her movement he let go of her and she slumped to the ground coughing.

Yet the wound did not halt him for long; he pulled the weapon out, and then stormed towards her.

Ziva quickly regained her vigour, jumping to her feet, ready to fight him.

Her concentration was broken, by the sound of tyres, approaching them in full speed.

Two identical SUV's were heading right in their direction, and Ziva knew instantly that this could not end well.

The Israeli jumped to the side, meeting Gibbs and Tony, while drawing her gun. The SUV's came to a sudden stop and by the Sensai's grin, they knew they were outnumbered. The doors opened and around a dozen armed men came in sight. They seemed to form a compact circle around an entity. Sensei joined the fast approaching group, a smug grin still present on his features.

The group stopped a few feet away and some of the bodyguards moved away, revealing a tall slender individual. He was wearing an impeccable black suite, dark sun glasses, covering most of his face, while a hat, a la Franc Sinatra covered his head; a cigar was hanging from the corner of his mouth. He stepped out of the circle, and his men backed him up, hands resting on revolvers with silencers.

"You, my dear Ziva, are a very hard to get woman. I thought we had an agreement." He spoke, causing the team to gasp in shock. They did not see his eyes, but his voice betrayed his identity.

Tony and Gibbs were throwing Ziva confused glares, while her face gave nothing away.

"You broke the deal _Dragon_, when you sent this imbecile to handle the whole deal." She said annoyed pointing towards Sensei, causing him in return to pant.

"My apologies, my dear Ziva. I did not know that he would not treat you like a lady. I will make sure you would be respected next time." He explained, cupping Ziva's cheek.

"Let her go!" Tony hissed, stepping closer to Ziva and the man called the Dragon.

"Ah, we meet again, so soon." The Dragon hissed disgusted, tracing his eyes over Tony's stiff body.

"Enough! What do you want, _Dragon_?" Gibbs barked.

"Oh, right! I forgot; Ziva wasn't allowed to tell you anything. You see, if she would have said anything, I would have blown up your precious NCIS building.

I want her" He laughed tracing Ziva's lips with his fingers.

Gibbs could feel the Tony's boiling emotions and he knew they had mere seconds before he would snap. Silently he prayed that Tony would be able to restrain himself and spear the slaughter.

"If you want Ziva, you have to go through us." Gibbs sighted. He knew that it was coming down to this, and they were probably going down in a blood bath.

His only concern was that the Meruni's managed to get out of this mess.

"_Where the hell is McGee with back up?"_ he asked himself.

His eyes went wide, when he detected the Dragon curled up on the ground, with Ziva pulling his arm forcefully.

He wasn't surprised to see at least half a dozen guns pointed at them.

"Touch me again, and I will kill you." She spoke, emphasising the last words.

"Heh! Well, a wild one. My boss was right; one shall not mess with you." He spoke, but before the words could sink in, Ziva found herself flat on her back, the Dragon hovering over her.

"But, I told my boss that no one should underestimate my training." He laughed, while Ziva struggled to get free from his grip.

"Now my little kitten, it is time for us to make an exit." He spoke sweetly, stroking her hair, causing her to hiss and shack violently.

He pulled her up from the ground, while she struggled, trying to get free of his grip. The Dragon laughed and pushed her towards the SUV. A piercing cry, made him look towards his men, spotting one of his bodyguards falling to the ground. In a matter of seconds another gunshot echoed, causing him to let go of Ziva. She grabbed the offered opportunity to flee from his sighed and join her team mates, who were now, running towards a high fence.

"Oh dear! Why do they always have to make it so hard?" He sighted turning towards Sensei.

A silent conversation went out between them, while in the background two other bodyguards fell to the ground with agonizing cries.

Sensei extracted from his pocket a small device and presented it to the Dragon.

He took the device, studying it and pressing a small button.

A few fractions of a second later, four houses blew up, causing Gibbs, Tony and Ziva to drop to the ground. Wooden pieces, along with parts of concrete were flying everywhere, and the three were trying to get to a safer area. Another ear shattering sound revealed that at least one more house had been blown to pieces.

The smoke was heavy and they couldn't see too much. Tony grabbed Ziva's hand, while Gibbs spotted his two agents.

They managed to stand up and decided to move to a small gazebo that looked to be intact, but from the flames and the smoke three large figures appeared.

The Dragon had brought back up and from his cold eyes, Gibbs could see that he would get what he wanted this time. Swiftly he pushed Ziva out of the way, standing in front of her, while Tony mimicked his motion. The Dragon gave quick instructions and the two male agents were approached by the large men. A struggle began, both agents trying to keep themselves and a wobbling Ziva alive. She on the other hand was trying to keep herself steady on her feet. Some of the flying concrete pieces had injured her; she was bleeding but not seriously.

Sooner then expected, the Dragon's face appeared in front of her eyes, taking her by surprise.

"You have made this simple task extremely difficult." He spat out, punching her in the abdomen, causing her to gasp out loud.

The pain ripped through her body, causing it to bend, allowing the Dragon to punch her again, this time in the neck.

Ziva struggled for breath, the air refusing to enter her lungs. She saw the fist flying her direction, she knew how much damage he could do, but to her utter surprise she managed to block it, and threw a punch herself. He fell to the ground, so Ziva tried on all fours to escape, but he caught her leg, pulling her towards him. Once closer to him, he hovered over her, restraining her arms, but not her legs. Swiftly she threw him off of her and jumped to her feet. By now she couldn't see neither Gibbs nor Tony, the smoke was rolling in waves, and she had a hard time spotting her opponent. He emerged from the smoke, furious and tried to knock her off her feet once more. Ziva regained her balance and he jumped on her causing both of them to fall to the ground. Once down, she tried to free herself from his grip, but he pressed his whole weight on her.

"Why are you fighting me, my sweet? There is no way you will escape; why make it so painfully for you?" He spoke, kissing her cheek lightly.

Full of rage, Ziva head punched him, causing him to remove himself from her body. He swore clutching his nose, but before Ziva could flee, he slapped her hard. Anger was sipping from his every pore, and he lifted Ziva by her hair from the ground. When she tried to struggle he hit her again, dragging her frame towards the SUV.

"What do we do with these two?" One of the gorillas asked.

"Take them to the SUV. I have what I wanted." He replied, while pulling Ziva off the ground.

Seconds later, he pushed her into the car; one of the bodyguards grabbed her frame, pushing a white cloth over her mouth. She struggled for a few seconds then she felt hereyelids growing heavy. The last thing she saw was the bloody face of the man she loved being shoved into the car.

**

* * *

A/N Make me happy and push the small button on the bottom of the page :))Review and you will get coockies :))**


	11. Cat and mouse game

**Dear all,**

** Thank you so much for your support and patience. I have not been a good sport and haven't updated in a while. For that I need to apologize. I had come to a point when nothing that I wrote was good enough and I didn't have the courage to post it. This chapter has been re-written at least two dozen times and I am still not happy about the outcome. I hope you will enjoy it, and I will try to update as soon as possible. **

**P.S. I actually tried to post this chapter 4 days ago, but the site wouldn't convert my file. Today was the day when my attempts were successful. **

**OK, I'll stop talking and I'll let you read. Enjoy and make me happy :))...Hit the button at the end of the page and drop me a few lines.**

**Cheers,**

**Trish**

Cat and mouse game

His eye lids were heavy, yet he tried to open them slowly so he may be able to scout his surroundings. His throbbing head managed to bring up images that he was not ready to deal with, at least not yet. With a grunt he pushed himself from the surface he was laying into a sitting position. His left hand went straight to his neck and massaged a sour spot and his numb fingers grazed a bump. He was sure that it was blue and he winced when he applied pressure on the spot. His lungs seemed to still hold the bitter odor of the chloroform, and the dizziness was still there, making him unable to think clear.

"I need some coffee." He grumbled and tried to put his thoughts into some kind of order. The image of a screaming Ziva dance in front of his eyes, and then of Tony, fighting his capturers, trying to reach her. Then the world went black, only to wake up in the badly lit room. On further inspection he could see that he was sitting on some kind of improvised bed, with a rough blacked underneath him. A small bottle of water and some aspirin lay on a tray on the floor. "I see he thought of everything." Gibbs muttered. He reached for the bottle feeling the stiffness of his muscles slowly giving away. After drinking a mouthful and swallowing the aspirin, he stood up and walked along the cramped space. Three steps separated the bed from the door, and four steps the door from the window. At one point Gibbs had hoped that he could escape through the window, but only from a vertical position could he see that it was too small to accommodate a frame of his size. On top of everything it was barred, causing him to smile. His capturers had taken any possible precaution so he may not escape. They had studied him, and he presumed the rest of his team as well, in detail so they knew what they were up against. He chuckled lightly while imagining the type of restrains they had used on Ziva. But his amusement swiftly disappeared when he thought about the glint of fear in her eyes, when the Dragon had gripped her hair. He had punched, kicked, shot and broken so many men, but there were always fresh brutes coming from constantly arriving SUV's. They had no chance from the beginning, and he had failed his team. The fact that he didn't know where Ziva and Tony were worried him the most. They were bought injured, and he doubted that they would get medical attention. After pacing around, trying to come up with a solution, Gibbs gave up and sat again on his bunk, head in his hands. The rusty screechy of the door, made him look up, only to see a familiar face that he wanted to punch brutally.

"What do you mean they were kidnapped? WHAT DO YOU MEAN TIM???" Abby yelled, scaring every agent in the proximity of Gibb' cubical.

"Abby! Abby, calm down!" McGee tried.

"Calm down? You want me to calm down, after you returned at NCIS with a broken marine, a crying Dani and a pissed off Alison? And on top of everything you come back without Tony and Ziva and most importantly without GIBBS!!!" she spoke, her tone high pitched.

"Well, you yelling at me doesn't really help us…at the moment the director is up in MTAC talking to the FBI. Fornell should be walzing in here at any moment …"

"You're damn right I am, McGee. How the hell did you manage to lose Gibbs, Tony and Ziva on the same day?" Fornell asked a deep frown creasing his forehead.

"I…I..I…well you see…" McGee began , trying to shy away from the stern voice only to be cut short by another voice.

"Leave him alone Tobias. His been through enough today and he doesn't need to be schooled by you. I'll deal with him later." The director spoke, sending a harsh gaze towards McGee, causing him to shudder.

"Do we have something Jen? A lead of any sort?" Fornell asked, moving his glare from McGee, causing the young agent to release a breath that he had held for some time.

"Why don't you and McGee come up to my office and I can brief you on the situation." She spoke, moving towards the stairs.

"What about me director? What am I going to do? I just can sit here and do nothing?" Abby squeaked between sobs.

"Go and see Ducky, Abby. You need to calm down." She advised.

The forensic scientist was about to protest but a harsh glare from the director silenced her. She turned quietly and ran towards the elevator.

Once inside Jen's office, she invited Fornell and McGee to take a seat.

"Now gentlemen, I know this is a critical moment, but we at least know who is behind this." She began, rubbing her fingers nervously.

"McGee, would you care to explain to agent Fornell what went on earlier?" she trailed away.

The young agent turned his chair towards the FBI agent and spoke firmly.

"The man behind this is an old "friend" agent Fornell. His name is…"

The creeping cold woke Ziva up. She could feel the pain in every part of her body, but her mind was already alert. She sneezed loudly, and she could hear the rattling of chains. Instantly her eyes flew above her head only to notice that her hands were tied up with ropes and chains. "Explains why I cannot feel them." She muttered while trying to move her hands so she may regain some feeling.

They felt stiff and every move she made sent a pain wave through her body. By now she was certain that once free, from the bond, if she would get free of them and still be alive, she will have some nasty bruises

Her gaze traveled down her body and she could see dried blood on her favorite green sweater and a few holes. She wore softly in Hebrew, only to spot that she missed her shoes and that her legs were in chains as well. "Aren't we cautious." She chuckled.

Swiftly she scouted the room, only to see that it lacked windows. The only source of light was a hole in the ceiling and she could see the grey sky. She immediately tried to come up with a plan so she may escape and save Tony and Gibbs. Her stomach tightened when she thought about Tony and the rage in his eyes when they were captured. She hoped he wasn't hurt or worst and the pain in her heart was unbearable. Ziva tried to put her feelings aside and think logical. She vigorously shook her head and began to move in her chains. Her training had thought her that chains usually have a weaker link, so she hoped that she could manage to persuade it to give away and she could escape; she would deal with the rope after that. Her body swung furiously, but the chains seemed not to budge. Her eyes travelled then to the floor in search of any sharp instrument. She hoped that her body would be flexible enough for what she intended to do, but her frustration only grew, when she saw that the floor was impeccable.

In her rage, she did not pay attention to the mass of fabric on the floor, only at a closer look she saw that it moved slightly. Her suspicion grew, and she narrowed her eyes her stomach tightening with stress and anticipation. She swayed lightly, so she could make up the shape better. Her heart froze when she managed to see what the pile of fabric was. It was Tony, and the bruises on his face, made her cry out. Her frustration intensified, when she noticed that she can't reach him and help him.

"Tony! "she croaked, her voice raspy.

"Please wake up. Tony! Answer me!" she called, fear creeping in her cold body.

"_Please, Tony! Don't be dead!"_ she thought, her lower lip trembling, while she felt a sting in her eyes. She was close to losing it, and she didn't know what to do, how to help the man she loved more than her own life.

"Tony! Wake up! If you don't wake up, I will arrange your DVD's alphabetical next time, and make you watch "The sound of music", with me for the next month! Tony!" she yelled, the tears slowly spilling on her cheeks. She was shivering from the cold and she was thirsty. On top of everything her hands had gone stiff again and every time she tried to move them the pain escalated.

The more Ziva struggled and cried, the more exhausted she was. Sleep overtook her in the end, but the fear of losing Tony never settled.

"Ah, agent Gibbs! So glad to see you awake." The Dragon spoke sweetly.

"Thank you for the aspirin. I hope my team gets the same treatment." Gibbs spoke, eyeing the man in front of him.

"Do not worry about your team, agent Gibbs. Worry more about your own life." He spoke

"Is that a threat? " Gibbs asked, his blue eyes, piercing the Dragon's cold gaze.

"Ts, ts, ts! Now Gibbs, do you not know me? I never threaten, I just give constructive advice." He responded.

"You're full of crap; you know that? Spit it out. What do you want?" Gibbs spat back, feeling the anger rise in his chest.

The stranger came close to Gibbs and put a hand on his shoulder.

Gibbs only looked at the hand, and then into the Dragon's eyes, speaking slowly, controlling the anger at the same time.

"I suggest you remove your hand,_ Dragon_, before if break it off, along with your head."

"Are you threatening me Jethro?" The Dragon spoke, a flash of annoyance crossing his features.

"No. Just giving constructive advice." Gibbs replayed, and his adversary removed his hand.

"Where's my team, and what do you want with them?" the agent asked.

"I don't want anything. I'm just helping an old friend."

"You don't say. And what does this have to do with my team?" Gibbs trailed away.

"Well, you see Gibbs, you were not the one I was aiming for and neither was DiNozzo. You just were at the wrong place at the wrong time. I thought Ziva and Sensei had an agreement, but of course you had to come and save the day. I would have had Ziva, you would have been back at NCIS and my boss wouldn't be raging now." He spat out, his voice full of poison.

"What's your business with Ziva? You should know by now that if you mess with my team you mess with me. I thought that was clear to you." He replied, enjoying the Dragon's annoyance.

The Dragon walked away from Gibbs, turning towards the door. "You will find out in due time. Until then why don't you enjoy your stay? I will have somebody bring you some food. You should be appreciating the fact, that I have not bound you to a chair or sedated you. I know what you are capable off Gibbs, so don't piss me off, because you wouldn't like what I would do to you." He replied, his hand on the doorknob.

"Before you walk away out of this room, tell me, what has Ziva done to you?"

"It's not to me, Gibbs, it's to someone else, and like I told you I owe that person a favor."

Gibbs walked the three steps towards the door and hissed "You listen to me now, you son of a bitch. If you hurt Ziva or Tony, I will hunt you down and hurt you so bed, that not even your own mother would recognize you. And yes, Kort, that is a threat."


	12. Spitfire

**Hello my dear readers,**

**here I am with a new chapter to this story that has been for such a long time on hiatus. I have officially graduated from university, with honors ;p, and waiting to get into grad school...yes, I am way to scared to join the working world full time ;p...**

**I am not really sure about this chapter, and I must tell you that it has been re-written about two dozen times. I still somehow hate it, but I'll rather let you be the judges of my work.**

**Make me really happy and tell me what you think.**

**Enjoy...xoxo LT**

**P.S. Disclaimer...nope...don't own NCIS...I think by now you all know what I own :)  
**

* * *

**Spitfire**

Alison sat down on the hard hospital chair, with a swift and liquid movement. She had felt the need to buy the disgusting beverage they called coffee so she could stay awake and watch over her beloved Alberto. He was resting, thanks to the large amount of medication the nurses had injected in his system, and for the first time in hours he looked at peace.

His hair was still a mess, and she could see dried blood tangled with his brown spiky hair, so she could do the only thing she was capable of doing, she tried to clean him up. Yet her struggles were in vain; the blood had dried and was firmly stuck to his hair and scalp. Her fingers gingerly traced his features, trying not to inflict any pain. His eyes were dark and swollen, while his nose was bandaged and his lips were cracked, but not bloody anymore. Her fingers grazed a cut and she was afraid she would wake him up, but Alberto continued to slumber and she felt relief wash over her.

Her mind worked in over drive and her only thought was that she could have lost him, never seen him again, and she had to fight back the tears that were slowly working their way up. Her mind then traveled to Ziva and the way she had stood up to Alberto's attackers. She did not want to admit it to herself, but she was thankful that Ziva had been there and handled the situation, because she know when it came to Alberto and Dani, she could not have been able to keep a cool head. Now she was worried that Ziva's involvement might cost her life, and that she, Alison, would be responsible somehow of something should happen to the daughter of the Deputy Director of Mossad.

Alison knew that time was running out on them and that the situation had become more complicated, but she couldn't find any solution to this problem. Her face was twisted in anger, pain and worry so she didn't notice Alberto stirring slightly. Only when he gently touched her hand did she notice that he was awake.

"Hey." He said

"Hey, back. How are you feeling?" she asked

"Honestly…like crap. But I'm glad to be alive and see you." He joked, giving her a half grin.

She smiled faintly leaning closer to him. It was moments like these, when he grinned that she remembered why she had fallen so hard for him.

"Why the long face? Did something happen?"He asked, a hint of concern creeping into his tiered voice.

She didn't say anything, just looked at his bruised wrists, kissing his left one tenderly. Her mind was racing once again, trying to shield him from what had happened as much as possible. She knew how close he and Tony were and she also knew that he was in no condition to start worrying or even worst do something stupid.

"Alison, what the hell happened? Is Dani ok? I can see you're freaked out." He asked again, shifting slightly and wincing in the process.

"Dani is fine my love and I am so glad to have you back Alberto. I don't know what I would have done, if anything would have happened to you." She said, burying her face into his chest, crying softly. She hated that she had become such a woman. Back in the day, when she was still a Mossad operative, she would have never let herself become weak or worst cry. Yet in front of this man, she was no longer a soldier, fighting for her country, she was a wife, a mother, a woman that desperately needed to make sure that he was there, alive and breathing.

"Sshhh! Don't cry babe, I'm fine. We are together again." He soothed, his hands drawing circles on her back. At this point he knew that something was wrong. Alison would have never behaved like this if something as not terribly wrong. At least he was content with the fact that his princess was fine, yet that didn't stop the bad feeling he was having.

"I know, but Tony, Gibbs and Ziva are not fine." She said, her voice muffled by his shirt.

"Anthony? What's wrong with him?" he asked louder then intended. This he had not expected. He had been held captive for some time, but he couldn't see how he Tony ended up in this mess.

"Love, tell me what happened?" he demanded, his voice softer this time, seeing the distress in his wife's features.

Alison raised her head from his chest and gently told Alberto what had happened the past twenty-four hours. His face badly bruised but in the process of healing was unreadable and the silence stretched longer then she liked it.

"Alberto? Please, talk to me." She finally spoke, her voice a mere whisper.

"We need to fix this Alison. Tony…he's my buddy. I refuse to let him come to harm." He finally said.

"I know. You are in no condition to do anything, but I am. For this reason, I need to know everything. How they took you? Where they took you? I need to know if you remember voices or even conversations regarding your location." She explained, her eyes determined.

"I don't remember much. Have been drugged most of the time, but on rare occasions, I do remember two individuals arguing. I don't recall much, but I think one was male and the other female. The guy was asking her to put a stop to something, while she only yelled back. Most of the time the world was confusing and I couldn't distinguish if it was night or day, or even if I am still dead or alive. It was cold where they kept me. I had a bed made out of straw, I think, but they took me out of there a lot. Beat me up real good then pushed me back into the room. At one point there was a doctor treating some wounds, but I am not completely certain if that happened or I was just hallucinating. Everything was a blur, but at one point one of the voices, I think the female, told me that I need to pay because I…married you, or more precisely because you were Jewish." He said, his eyes meeting hers.

"Yet I still don't understand what this has to do with Tony, and how it will help him." He continued but a glint in his wife's eyes intrigued him.

"What do you know and not telling me, my super woman?" he asked, half serious, half joking.

"I may have a plan my love." She uttered and swiftly stood up, kissing his forehead and the storming out of the room, leaving Alberto confused.

It was dark, way to dark for his liking and his head hurt unbearably. _"Good, at least I know I am alive. If I would have been dead, there is no way I could be in so much pain."_ He thought and focused on trying to move his limbs. His brain was giving the order, yet his body refused to cooperate. _"Just great! Like a headache wasn't bad enough, now my extremities decided to take a vacation." _He went on, now trying to open his eyes. Yet he quickly gave up on that task, when another wave of pain overcame him. He groaned and focused on moving his hands again, and to his surprise he could shift them slightly, although the process was tremendously unpleasant. His bruised fingers, somehow managed to feel the rope tied around his wrists. Carefully his fingers trailed around the rope trying to figure out if it had any weak points. He gasped when his brain registered and processed what his fingers were telling him. _"Crap!Crap!Crap! He used a frigging constrictor knot on me." _He though and continued to explore the knot._ "Wonderful, it's even a double! Well DiNozzo say goodbye to your hands. You will never see them again"_ he trailed away and he wanted to scream, but he still had the impression he couldn't articulate one word. He tried to remember what Ziva had told him about the double constrictor knot. He remembered that she had told him that once tightened it is almost impossible to untie and the only way to somehow get rid of it would be cutting with a sharp object, but it would take some time. _"Perfect! I'm pretty much screwed! I'm probably blind, tied up with an impossible knot, which is cutting into my flesh and numb from the waist down. FROM THE WAIST DOWN! This can't be good." _He tried to calm himself down by tacking a few deep breaths. His first attempt managed to extract a moan out of him. His second attempt left him struggling for air. _"Something is not ok in there."_ Still feeling the aftermath of his breathing exercise and the pounding in his head he tried to let his crippled senses roam free. He hoped that in this way he might get a feel for his location, maybe even open his eyes at one point, that in case he wasn't blind. Trying to stay optimistic he thought of being able to escape, find Gibbs and get back to Ziva. _"ZIVA!"_ his mind yelled. Now he remembered; he could recall the distress in her voice when she yelled his name. He could picture the fear in her eyes when the Dragon pushed her towards the car. The chocked sound of her voice still echoed in his head. He tried his best not to panic, but he could feel the acid from his stomach rise filling his mouth. He managed to spit. "Ziva!" he weakly croaked. He had to find her, he had to break free and find her. He had to save her, before it would be too late. _"Before she dies"_ his mind spat out. "No!" he yelled, his voice growing stronger, as the anger inside his chest. They would not touch his Ziva, he'll make sure of that.

Gathering all his courage he opened his eyes slowly. The dim light hurt his eyes and he felt the jolt of pain, traveling from his eyes to his brain, exploding and he could feel the nausea overcoming him. He chocked a sob back and closed his eyes, allowing them a few seconds of rest. He tried again, this time opening them only a little bit. When he felt that his eyes had adjusted enough and the nausea was gone, he opened them further. His breaths were rapid and painful, but in the end he was proud that he had managed to stay upright and not vomit or pass out from the pain.

Yet nothing prepared him for the sight that was unfolding in front of him. He closed his eyes, hoping it was a nightmare, and then opened them again, yet what he had seen a few seconds ago was still there. His Ziva was in front of him, her wrists chained together, while her ankles had received the same treatment. She was bruised, bloody, a female version of Jesus on the cross.

He felt his knees protest when he shifted his weight and stood on them. Somehow he tried to crawl towards her, see if she was breathing _"She can't be dead! She isn't dead!_"

He came closer to her and was about to turn to his side and shake her a little bit. His ears and brain registered the sound too late, his body not fast enough to duck. The lights went off again for agent DiNozzo and the last thing he saw before slipping into oblivion was Ziva's closed eyelids.


	13. Fade

**Dear all.**

**thank you so much for your wonderful reviews! They really make my day every time I read them. I'm sorry for have kept you waiting for such a long time, but it seems that mu muse has finally decided to return from an extended vacation :))...I hope you will like this chapter. Feedback is greatly appreciated :)**

**Read, review&enjoy :))**

**xoxo LT**

**Disclaimer: Nope...not mine :)**

**

* * *

Fade**

"I want to see my team Kort!" Gibbs stated plainly, his voice sharp as a blade. He had been kept hostage in that room for more than twenty-four hours and he still did not have news of Tony's and Ziva's condition. As promised, Kort had sent a person with food and water and Gibbs was even given a large basin to wash. Gibbs had spent most of his hours awake, trying to devise a plan, but his mind was blank and he felt frustration taking over. His thoughts drifted to Jen and McGee. Somehow these two would get them out of here, but he feared that his agents would not be alive when the cavalry would arrive. His biggest concern was Ziva and not Tony. After all Kort had told him from the beginning that he and Tony had never been his target, Ziva had been. Although Tony's condition worried Gibbs, the brutes had managed to beat him up pretty well, he was more concerned about Ziva and the wounds she sustained. Kort had not been gentle with her and her previous injuries had not completely healed.

When the door had opened and Kort had walked him, Gibbs had to use all his restrain not to disfiguration him. Kort had joked, sat down on his bed and told him that everything was going according to plan.

"I told you once Kort. I want to see my team." He repeated, growing increasingly frustrated.

"All in due time Gibbs. Final preparations are being made. In a few hours you shall be reunited with your team." The bald man said, leaving Gibbs' cell.

* * *

"McGee, did our auxiliary team pick up any suspects from the scene?" Jen asked, not turning to face him. She had been sitting all the day in MTAC with Fornell and McGee.

"One man director. He's at Bethesda, but unconscious. I'll go later to question him." He replied, looking at his phone, seeing that he had received a text from Allison.

"Director, Alison Meruni is here to speak to us. Should I tell her to come to MTAC?" he asked, phone in hand. The director nodded, finally looking at him. She had to admit that McGee looked like crap. The young agent had not slept or even taken a few minutes to rest since his team had been abducted. He had tried to follow every possible lead, even managed to isolate the area where all three phones had been smashed. The GPS signal had showed that the phones had been active for fifteen more minutes after their capture and that the van was heading north. McGee had driven to the place where the signal had ended and found three phones in an unrecognizable shape. He had than called a special unit to take tire prints, since they were still recognizable. The unused dirt road had left valuable information and he began to investigate. Abby was running the tires casts, hoping to get something out of it. They knew what type of SUV the attackers had arrived in; they just hoped that the Sensei or Kort, in their kookiness had decided to go with all premium tires. The number of cares having this particular set was very limited, and so it would be easier to track down.

Jen was not surprised when McGee had hacked into the CIA database. From there he had managed to somehow get a hold on Kort's financial situation. Over the last four months Kort's accounts have been drained systematically, but after hours of work, McGee had found a sister account, a well protected one. It had taken all of his skill, alongside with Abby's to be able to access Bahrain based account. Once they had hacked into it, McGee noticed that alongside with the money from his initial accounts, Kort was receiving large sums of money every two weeks. Now, McGee was feverishly working to get the identity of Kort's "caretaker".

Alison entered MTAC, her confidence showing and for the first time in hours McGee seemed to have hope. The chase after the "ghost man", Kort's employer, was exhausting him and he had started praying for a miracle. When she walked into that room, it seemed that she was the miracle McGee had expected all along. She greeted him with a nod, and took a stand by position next to director Shepard's chair.

"Permission to speak, director." She began.

"Permission granted. Tell me officer Meruni, what information do you bring?" Jen answered showing Alison the seat next to her. The married officer sat down swiftly and turned her face towards the director.

"Director Shepard my husband is awake and has spoken to me. From what he could remember, he told me that he had been held captive by a man and a woman, and he believes somewhere outside of the city." She explained.

"Well that complicates things." McGee said.

"Why, agent McGee?" she asked.

"We know who one of the men is, but we could not figure out who the Asian was. Now, with the presence of a woman the plot thickens." He explained, looking back at his computer.

"You know the name of one of the individuals?"

"Yes. Director? Permission to speak?" McGee asked looking at Jen, who had been silent since Alison had begun speaking.

"Permission granted agent McGee." She finally sighted.

"His name is Trent Kort. He's a CIA agent we had to deal with in the past." Fornell budged in.

"Then why is he involved in this kidnapping?" she asked confused.

"We do not know. We are in MTAC for this reason. I have requested to speak to the head of the CIA." Jen explained.

"Director, William South with the CIA is on line one." A technician spoke.

"Put him on." She ordered and a few minutes later the MTAC screen revealed the face of a black haired middle aged man. His face looked tiered, yet no one in the room could say that his face was not determined.

"Director South!"

"Director Shepard! What can I assist NCIS with?" he asked, looking at the no standing director of NCIS.

"We require information from your agency."

"What kind of information?"

"It involves one of your agents. Trent Kort." She replied

"What is this all about director Shepard?" he asked his forehead creasing.

"Yesterday, three of my agents were abducted by your agent. We suspect he has gone rough and we need to know if you have been in contact with him recently." She explained

"Kort has not reported with the CIA for six months. His assignment required a deep cover." The director of the CIA explained.

"What kind of mission director?" Jenny asked.

"That's classified." He replied harshly.

"Director South, I do not believe you understand the gravity of the situation NCIS is currently in. Three of my best agents have been kidnapped by one of your agents, working for your agency. Now, I require you immediately tell me what this is all about. I do believe you wish prevent a scandal involving your agency." She said in the same tone.

Silence engulfed the room and after a few seconds of pondering the director of the CIA sighted and spoke.

"I see the FBI is already on this, so I presume it is very grave."

"Indeed it is."

"Six months ago Kort was contacted by one of La Grenouille associates. His cover had not been blown, even though NCIS choose to mingle where it shouldn't have. This associate proposed a deal involving an illegal smuggling of nuclear weapons. Kort infiltrated in his inner circle. We have not heard anything from him in the past six months, since he has gone undercover, but we presume he is alive. Drawings from his accounts indicate that he is alive." He explained looking at the crowed which had gravitated near the screen.

"Do you have the name of this associate?" Fornell asked.

"Negative. We expect Kort to come in contact with us in the next two months. If he does not, I will try to infiltrate another team."

"Director, please send to NCIS all documents you have regarding the whole La Grenouille mission. NCIS will take over." She spoke, her back straight, her face stern.

"That is outrageous director Shepard. This does not involve NCIS, it's none of its business." He yelled, anger clearly over his features.

"It became NCIS damn business the moment your agent took my men hostage. I do not want no for an answer. If my request is not honored, I will contact SecNev and the attorney general. Mark my words director South, I will fry your ass for this." She yelled back, her composer slipping.

"Understood director. You will receive what you need in an hour." He caved, his eyes still blazing.

"And director, I would highly appreciate it if your agency would stop hacking into my data base." He bit back.

"Your lack of cooperation is to blame director." She replied harshly, then killing the fed.

"Ok, now let's recapitulate." Fornell proposed.

"Kort is undercover for the CIA regarding a shipment of illegal nuclear weapons and has not checked in with his superiors for the last six months." Fornell began.

"He is still clearly alive since all his money is being drawn out of his US accounts and sent to an account in Bahrain along with substantial sums of money coming from another unknown individual." McGee concluded.

"And he probably has another accomplice, probably a woman." Jen concluded.

"Wait, McGee. Did you say Bahrain?" Alison asked.

"Yeah. Why?" McGee replied confused.

"Director Shepard, I have a contact in Bahrain. He is the supervisor of a unit that deals with terrorist threats and nuclear activity in the region. His intelligence unit also tracks the movement of large sums of money. If I give him Kort's bank details he could find out where the money is coming from and if it the money comes from any suspect that is involved in illegal nuclear weapon shipments." She said.

"Do it Alison. We need all the help we can get. I will ask an agent to bring all the CIA files to Abby's lab"

"I'll get my men in the FBI to see if they can track down Kort's movements in the last six months. We used to have him under observation during the whole La Granouille fiasco." Fornell added.

"McGee, go to the hospital and talk to our suspect." Jen instructed, exiting MTAC.

"McGee, I'll go with you. I presume I can help you with the _questioning_." Alison added with a wicked glare.

* * *

"Hello Gibbs. It is time." Kort spoke after closing the door to Gibbs's cell.

Gibbs stood up from his bunk and moved towards Kort.

"Turn around. I have to handcuff you." He trailed away

"So many precautions Kort. You afraid I might escape?" Gibbs smirked.

"You can never be too careful. I know you Gibbs." He replied, cuffing Gibbs tightly.

Both men walked out of the room, where two bodyguards were waiting to escort them. They walked through tight, brightly lit and dirty corridors. At the end of one of the corridors both Kort and Gibbs stopped and an armed guard opened a door.

"Watch your step Gibbs. Don't want you to injure yourself." Kort spoke, pulling Gibbs roughly.

"So who is this boss of yours Kort?" Gibbs asked.

"No worries. You will meet her soon." He replied mysteriously.

The first thing that Gibbs saw was the large oculus in the room, projecting a beam of light on two chairs. One of them was empty, but the other one was occupied by an unconscious Tony. They walked in silence and Gibbs tried to survey the area. Yet the lack of light did not allowing him to see too much. He could see the concrete floor, in places bloody and with small pools of what he supposed to be oil. Further away he noticed a large chain, strapped to two large rings embedded in the floor.

His gaze then shifted to Tony's form. He could not see his face, but his slumped shoulder told him that the agent wasn't too well. Once they had arrived at the chair, Kort slammed Gibbs into it and the two armed guards began to fasten him to the chair. He could see that Tony had been bound as well, but Ziva was nowhere to be spotted.

Suddenly two more guars appeared carrying a large bucket. The dumped water over Tony making him regain consciousness.

"What the…?" he asked and looked around.

"Tony, are you alright?" Gibbs asked

"Boss…they have Ziva." Tony began, panic clearly visible in his tense features.

"I know Tony."

"No, boss. You don't understand…"he began but was quickly cut off.

"Now, that the family reunion is over we can get started." Kort spoke, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"Kort, I swear to God, I'll…" Tony yelled.

"You'll do what DiNozzo. I do not believe you are in the position to make threats. Now be quiet." He commented moving away from them.

"Calm down Tony. Anger will not get you anywhere." Gibbs advised, only receiving a deathly glare from Tony.

"Boss, you don't know what they did to her. I saw her, boss and she's not well." He whispered leaning closer to his boss.

"They will get us out of here Tony and Ziva's Mossad; she's strong." He tried to reassure the distressed agent.

Tony's next line was cut short by a sudden flash of light. Two industrial spot lights had been turned on, somewhere at the back of the room, only to reveal a chained Ziva hanging from the ceiling. She was bloody, her face swollen and her hair dirty. Tony gasped and struggled to get free from his chair.

"Ziva!" he yelled…"Wake up!"

Yet the chained woman did not move.

"Kort, I will kill you for this." Gibbs yelled. Ziva's pale features made his blood run cold and his anger to spike. Although she did not seem to be badly hurt she was fading in front of their eyes.

Suddenly a figure appeared in front of them, dressed in leather trousers, spotting high heels and a dark tank top. Her features were beautiful, her dark hair reaching her shoulders, her lips red and full, while her blue eyes were blazing. She was walking towards Ziva, holding a 9 mm gun.

With shock and fear in his voice Tony spoke:

"Jeanne"


	14. In bloodlust we dance

**My dear friends,**

**I do apologize for not updating sooner. Here's a treat for you. An extra long chapter :D...hope you enjoy and as always feedback is greatly appreciated.**

**Read, enjoy& review**

**xoxo**

**LT**

**

* * *

In blood-lust we dace**

"Jeanne, what the hell is this?" Tony asked, feeling his anger swell in his chest. He couldn't believe that the woman he had held feelings for in the past, could be the cause of this.

"Kort, explain yourself!" Gibbs demanded, trying to assess the situation and at the same time come up with an escape plan. He knew that Tony wasn't handling the situation well, that he was on the edge and he could only make the situation worst. At the same time, Ziva was still unconscious, causing him tremendous distress. Under normal circumstances the Israeli could hold her own, but right now, she was far from being fine. Gibbs suspected that her injuries were far worst then the ones she was showing. Yet no answer came from Kort, his features immobile, while leaning against a wooden crate, observing the scene. Gibbs pealed his eyes away from Kort's silent and defying form and let his gaze roam around the room. Ziva's unmoving and crucified body came into view and he cringed inside, swiftly averting his gaze from her. He did not dare to glare at his right to see Tony's face, instead he zeroed in on Jeanne.

"Jeanne, why?" He asked softly, hoping to coax an answer out of her, and at the same time buy them some more time. Gibbs was afraid that if he would let Tony speak, she might be tempted to go through with what she had planned. Her features, although strikingly beautiful, were those of a madwoman, a woman ready to take somebodies life instead of saving it.

At first she didn't speak, not even looked at them. When she heard her name the first time, she wanted to turn towards at the man she loved, she wanted it so badly, but the voice inside of her, told her that the moment she would gaze into his deep, rich, green eyes, she would be lost, her determination and decision would crumble. No, for now she had to be strong, she had to go through with what she had planned for the little Mossad bitch. There would be time for love and caresses after Ziva David will be no more.

The pain shot through her body, and she wished the haze in her head would scatter. Her eyelids fluttered briefly and she had to suppress a groan. Her instincts had never failed her; even in the worst conditions she had been through and now was no exception. Her senses, although rattled, screamed at her and she was aware of the danger located in her vicinity, so she did the only thing she could, stay still. Carefully Ziva opened her eyes a bit and let her vision take in the room. Both Tony and Gibbs were strapped to a chair and her peripheral vision could make out the outline of a third figure, most probably a woman and her enemy. For a better look at her opponent she would have to move her head, but that would be her undoing, so she decided against it leaving things to take their course and make her required it.

"Jeanne, tell me, why are you doing this?" Gibbs pressed, his voice still soft and even. He had detected Ziva's soft eye movement and he breathed a sight of relief. _"Good, at least she's alive."_ Gibbs though, focusing on Jeanne's slender form. He needed to keep her occupied, stall some more and maybe the cavalry would arrive and get them out of this damned place. He desperately needed a cup of coffee, or even better a glass of bourbon.

"That is none of your business, special agent Gibbs." The woman bit back, her posture and features changing. No longer soft and breakable like a China doll, now a mad killer, her eyes full of blood lust, her lips twitched into a grim grin. Anger was rolling off of her in pulsating waves, and Gibbs had to restrain himself as much as possible, not to give her a sharp comment. It surprised him to some extent that Tony had not tried to ask Jeanne for more answers. Relief washed over him once more and he dared move his gaze form Jeanne's angered form. Next to him, bound and bruised, Anthony DiNozzo was scanning Ziva's still inert form. Gibbs grew concerned the longer he stared at his agent. Tony's features were stone like and to the average observer he seemed impassive, but Gibbs could see the rage, burning behind his eyes. Tony was a ticking time bomb, and he knew he would ignite at any moment now, only needing an external trigger. He had no doubt that the young doctor would never hurt or worst kill any of them, since he could see the love adorn her features every time she looked at the young Italian. But when it came to Ziva, Gibbs knew that La Grenouille's daughter would show no mercy.

"You don't want to hurt us Jeanne. It would be a mistake, we are federal agents and your friend here could explain to you the consequences of harming us." Gibbs explained cautiously, motioning with his head in Kort's direction.

"My grudge is not with you. I shall not harm you, if don't stand in my way. You two were not supposed to be here. I only wanted her, but it seems I am surrounded by incompetent people" She bit back, only confirming Gibbs's suspicion.

"Make me understand. What on earth has Ziva ever done to you?" he pressed, hoping not to fuel her anger.

One of her fist balled as her other hand squeezed the gun harder. She slowly turned her body towards them and looked him in the eyes for the first time since she had walked into the room.

"She took what was mine. My life, my future is shattered because of her, because she had to worm her way into it, stepping on everybody in the process, not caring that she would destroy something beautiful. Now, I want what is rightfully mine, what was always mine and never hers to have in the first place." She spat out, her whole body trembling with her suppressed anger.

Time was running out on them, he only prayed that Tony would be wise enough to keep his mouth shut. His prayer went unheard and the spoke words made Gibbs want to slap Tony silly. The boy had the tactfulness of crippled ant.

"We were a lie Jeanne. From beginning to end, and we could not build anything on that. I was never yours to have, to cherish and we did not have a future. I wanted one, but you walked out on me, remember? So I gave you what you needed, I gave you closure so you could move on." He yelled, trying to pull himself way from the chair and form the ropes holding him. He had had enough of this nonsense; he was tiered, in pain, worried and beyond pissed off.

"You need to stop this right now, let us go before your make your situation even worst then it is." He trailed away and he could have sworn he heard Gibbs mouth the word "idiot" in his direction. But by now he was not capable of distinguishing between right and wrong anymore and his disgust was obvious to everybody in the room.

Jeanne remained dumbfounded; looking at him like had grown another head over night.

"I will let that slide, Anthony. I know you are just tiered and sore, and I promise I will personally handle the idiots that hurt you. For now, just sit back and let me take care of everything. It's just a matter of time until we can be together again." She explained, her voice soothing, like she would have spoken to a child.

Tony was about to reply, when he was cut short. "Shut un DiNozzo" Gibbs mouthed, never taking his eyes way from Jeanne.

Silence engulfed the room and Jeanne smiled sweetly to them, swiftly turning and walking towards a presumed unconscious Ziva. Stopping about a foot away from her "victim", Jeanne studied the young Israeli attentively. She had to admit, she had been curious to see this woman closer up, since she had only seen her from afar and in pictures. Now, she wanted to study her like a lab rat, so she could determine what made her so appealing to Tony. Cautiously she moved closer, brushing gently the hair from Ziva's face, holding a strand between her fingers, and feeling the texture. The young doctor let get of the strand and put her finger under Ziva's jaw, swiftly tilting it up. The light coming from the mounted spotlight in the roof, hit her face, making the bruising visible. A long cut above her right brow seemed to be still bleeding, while the eye was slightly swollen. The left cheek was spotting an ugly bruise, and dried blood was smeared under her nostrils. The upper lip was swollen, but not bleeding anymore. While examining her features, Tony grew restless, feeling to need to protest. He wanted Jeanne to take her finger away from Ziva's face, while about to protest he moved his head towards Gibbs. The older agents expression silenced him immediately and he slumped back down in his chair. In his corner, Kort was watching the scene in front of him with amusement, although deep down inside he felt uneasy by the whole situation.

Jeanne continued to observe the bound woman, her frustration increasing with every passing second. She could not understand what Tony had seen in Ziva, why he had chosen the Israeli over her. Yes, Ziva's features were exotic; the darker complexion given the agent an aura of mystery and danger, but to her Ziva looked plain, nothing that could compete with her delicate beauty. Disgusted and annoyed she removed her fingers from Ziva's chin and turned to the two bound men.

"I don't understand Tony. What did she do to you?" she asked, her rage simmering.

"What do you mean?" Tony asked tiered.

"What did she tell you? What did she do? You dropped us and ran to her. I just don't understand what you saw in her." She yelled, frustrated with the fact that she could not understand why Tony would be with such a woman.

"I'm better in bed then you are." Ziva replied, causing Jeanne to spin on her heel and glare at Ziva. Her big blue eyes hard as steel, fury surging through them making her ball her fist and spread her legs a bit more apart. Ziva being awake was not something Jeanne had expected, and above all she did not think she would be in such a peppy condition.

"Why, Ziva I see u are awake and feeling better." She said a fake smile plastered on her face.

"Yes, the nap was very refreshing. Now, would you mind taking me down, I really want to stretch a bit, maybe even make you regret for putting me up here in the first place." She replied, smirking, while swiftly observing her surroundings. She had a pretty good idea that her comments were going to upset the crazed woman. Jeanne had death written all over her face, and when the blow came, she was prepared for it.

"You hit like a girl, and you are extremely predictable." Ziva laughed, turning her head slightly.

"Ziva, what the hell are you doing?" Tony asked worried and annoyed, fiddling with his restrains.

"I'm fine Tony, just having a pleasant conversation with your former mission." She replied looking Jeanne in the eye, defying her with every ounce of strength she possessed.

"I was not a mission! I am his future, you worthless piece of…" she spat back.

"Oh, such harsh words, from such a fragile person. Ts, ts, ts! I would try to restrain my outbursts if I were you. Anger does not become you, and you would not want wrinkles on that pretty little face of yours." The Israeli trailed away, her features and voice mocking her opponent.

Pushing her luck was dangerous, but she needed to see when Jeanne would reach the breaking point. It was inevitable that the young doctor would make mistakes that could help get them all out of this situation. Like the first time around, she wasn't all too surprised when the blow came. Although more painful then the first one, Ziva did not even flinch, instead chuckled loudly.

"Yes, clearly a woman raised in fluff and comfort. You have no ounce of strength in that body of yours. Clearly a woman meant to sit next to a stove, one that enjoys staying at home instead of running a mile. I guess this is the reason why you have never been Tony's first choice." She threw at her, knowing full well that it will spark a reaction, probably a bit more determined then the previous one, out of her opponent.

"David! That's enough!" Gibbs barked, concerned and taken aback by the whole situation. He was surprised by Ziva's tactic in approaching Jeanne. Come to think of it, he had expected his agent to play it cool and try to talk the young doctor down. Now, instead, Ziva only increased her chances of getting herself killed. One side of him feared her actions, while the rational side tried to come up with a logical explanation. She must have come up with a plan, the only problem was he couldn't see it for the life of him. His brain was a mess, fogged up, and he had to suppress a curse escaping his lips. _"Where the hell is McGee with back-up?"_ He thought, daring to steal a glance at Tony. What he saw did not make him too happy. His senior field agent was all wound up, watching the two women in front of him, and he could practically see, Tony's mental wheels turn.

Jeanne Benoit wanted to wipe the grin off of Ziva's face; preferably with a 9 mm. Although the Israeli hung in front of her, the chains biting into her wrists, her shoulder joints probably burning, since all her weight was supported by them she still challenged her. Her, the woman holding the gun, the one that will in the end kill her and will take Tony away. Her lips rose, forming a gruesome smile. _"No more games"_ she said to herself, inching closer to Ziva's frame.

Invading her personal space, Jeanne, leaned into her, the gun she had been holding making contact with Ziva's cheek. Carefully she caressed the side of her bruised face with it, making eye contact with the bound agent.

"Mock me all you want, but in the end I am the one who's not restrained. I'm the one holding the gun, the one who will blow your brains and who will take Tony back. You see, the only reason why Tony and I are not on a stranded beach, sipping cocktails and enjoying each other, is the little predicament of you still being among the living. Once I'm done with you, nothing could ever tear me and Tony apart." She explained, turning towards the Italian in question, looking lovingly into his face, completely oblivious of the hate emanating from him.

Ziva snorted, causing Jeanne to swiftly zero in on her. Sneering she grabbed Ziva's tangled hair, pulling wildly, while pointing the gun at her temple.

"I will pull the trigger and end you! Don't you dare disrespect me, you worthless whore!" she yelled, causing Ziva to laugh.

"Then why don't you do it? You keep beating around the bush for a while now, yet nothing, only false promises. Don't tell me you're scared. You had this all so meticulously planned out, and now you step away from your resolution. " She trailed away, aware that the gun was pressed to her head even more.

"I'm not scare, just I wish to savor this. I want to make sure you suffer as much as I suffered, when you took Tony away from me."

"HA! You know the truth Jeanne. You know as well as I do that Tony could never love a murderer. Once you pull that trigger, your little dream will burst into flames. Every time he will look at you he will think about the moment you put a bullet through my brain. Every time he would hold you, he will think of me, think at the way he used to hold me. When he would kiss you, he will picture kissing me instead, and when he would be in bed with you, he would be thinking of the times we made love. Face it Jeanne, if you kill me, you loose him for good." Ziva explained her lips graciously arching, yet her voice hard and grave.

"You lie, you lie, you lie!" she yelled, pushing Ziva away.

"No, she isn't Jeanne." Tony responded, his head held high, face determined and unmoving. There was no doubt that his words were serious, no hint of humor.

"Tony, I…."

"Needless to say, that if you kill Ziva and kidnap Tony, you would have an army of agents looking for you. Wherever you go, whatever you do, you will always have to look behind, see if there is a horde of agents following your every step. Sooner or later they will find you, and you'll get convicted and sent to jail for a very long time. Kidnapping a federal agent and killing one, especially a liaison officer is a serious matter, and trust me Jeanne, you don't have to fear the Americans as much as you should fear the Israelis. Remember, Ziva's Mossad." Gibbs explained, his eyes never leaving Jeanne's form. She still held the gun in her hand, but her determination seemed to waver.

Yet Jeanne quickly regained her composer, gripping the gun tighter.

"Lies! All, lies! Why do you try to keep her alive? Can't you see what she's done to you? How can she call me a murdered and how can you? I know all about her and her past; and yet you call me a murderer. For what's worth, if I dispose of her, the world would be a better place. She killed innocent women and children without even giving it a second though. You, Tony of all people, should know that. You tell me you couldn't love me if I'd kill her, yet you went to bed with this piece of trash countless times. How dare you claim you would not be with me if she dies by my hand? I would be doing all of you a favor." She yelled out, her controlled demeanor slipping, her breathing hectic.

"Bravo, Jeanne. Interesting reasoning, yet I did not kill people over personal matters. I killed criminals, people who threatened my country. Never did I take somebodies life, just because she had taken my significant other." Ziva bit back.

"You shut up! I was not talking to you. You die, and nothing will change my mind; and I shall enjoy every minute of it."

"Then go ahead, do it!"

"No, Ziva! Stop it!" Tony yelled.

"Be quiet Tony. There is nothing that either of us can say to stop her. She has made up her mind, and she should go through with it. The woman wants her perfect American dream; a house, a husband, her 2.5 children, a dog and a minivan. She wants to play soccer mom and she should have it, but mark my words Jeanne, this dream will never be with Tony. You had your chance, and if you claim to love him that much, then you shouldn't have let him go. When he told you it was all a lie, you should have seen the contradicting expression on his face. But you didn't, you let him go and you lost your claim on him that moment." Ziva yelled, moving her aching body, so she could gaze into Jeanne's eye, rattling the chains that held her.

"SHUT UP!" Jeanne yelled back, swiftly moving towards Ziva, punching her stomach violently. As much as she had tried to bite it down, Ziva grunted in pain when Jeanne's fist collided with her abdomen. The doctor had punched her straight into her old wound. For the first time since the nightmare had started, Ziva knew that she was in trouble. Jeanne was drawing deep breaths, her face a mask of pure rage and hatred, studying Ziva's reaction. Quickly the Israeli composed herself and straightened up as much as she could.

"That the best you can do?" she sarcastically said.

The moment the words left her mouth Jeanne lunched towards her, her fists concentrated at Ziva's front. She had seen the way the agent winced when she had hit her the first time. Her attack caused Ziva to groan, biting her lips to suppress a cry.

"Jeanne, stop it! Please!" Tony yelled out, distress written over his handsome features. He now, just as Gibbs, was worried, knowing all to well that Ziva's stitches might tare any minute.

His worst nightmare came true, when Jeanne distanced herself from his lover. Ziva's grey polo was spotting bloodstains, and just like he was looking at them, so was Jeanne.

"Your stitches ruptured." She plainly stated. "This should be interesting."

Feline-like, Jeanne moved away from the Israeli and retrieved a pair of scissors from a box placed next to an empty crate. As swift as her departure from Ziva's form was, so was her re-appearance, box dragged behind her. In one firm movement she shredded the lower part of Ziva's stained garment and exposed her bandages.

"What do we have here? Interesting. Would you mind if I take a look?" she laughed, tearing the fabric before Ziva could replay.

Indeed her sutures had ruptured and blood was oozing from it, the area around it sore and red.

"Oh dear, that doesn't look too good. I think I need to take a closer look." She explained, bending down and retrieving a scalpel from the same box she had taken the scissors from.

"Get away from me, Kalba!" Ziva yelled, a hint of panic gleaming in her brown eyes.

Without listening to a word she said, Jeanne forcefully opened the wound with her scalpel, using her fingers to part the flesh. The red liquid gushes down angrily and Ziva yelped in pain.

"Jeanne, stop this, I'm begging you! Stop hurting her!" Tony pleaded, yet his cries went unheard

Ziva tried to move away from the doctor's invasive and destructive hands, but a blood covered palm shut up and slapping her, causing the Israeli to cease her struggle. In one swift movement, Jeanne cut through the muscle, tearing at Ziva's flesh. No longer being able to hold back, Ziva yelled in pain, causing Tony to try to remove himself from the chair he had been bound to. Gibbs, flinched, his pain and anger obvious. He had never heard Ziva yell like that and it killed him that he couldn't do a damn thing to help her.

With her blood-covered fingers, Jeanne continued her invasion causing Ziva to yell out a second time, Hebrew curses falling like raindrops from her swollen lips.

Extracting her hands from Ziva's abdominal cavity, she looked satisfied at her work. Not a single word was spoken; the only sound coming from Ziva's raged breathing.

"Jeanne, I have never hurt a woman in my life, but I swear on my mother's grave that the moment I am free form this chair I will kill you with my bare hands." Tony said, rage blazing in his green eyes.

Dumbfounded Jeanne glared at him, not able to believe her ears. Here she was, doing them both of a favor, getting rid of the only impediment to their happiness and he was threatening to kill her. She could not understand his outbreak, so she walked towards him, lowering herself so their eyes could meet. When she gazed into the orbs she loved, she only saw hate, anger, not a trace of love. Fury flared once again, and her right blood covered palm collided with his left cheek.

"You ungrateful son of a bitch. I hate you!" She yelled out slowly lifting her body from the semi-crouch.

"Good! You should hate me, because if she dies, I will hunt you down and make your life a living hell." His voice cutting through the silence like a butcher's knife would.

"Tony…" Ziva moaned, causing him to avert his gaze from Jeanne's still and living face.

"I'm here babe. You're going to be fine." He reassured, his voice more confident now.

Without a second though Jeanne launched herself at Ziva, her fists hitting every part of her body, but concentrated on her abdomen.

"Die!Die!Die!" she repeated, adrenaline pumping through her system, making her blows faster.

All this time, leaning against the empty crates, Kort was observing the torture unfolding in front of his eyes. He had been amused while listening to the whole conversation, admired Ziva's spunk and sarcasm, even going so far in feeling sorry for putting her in these circumstances in the first place. His gut told him that the situation could not end well. Jeanne was completely out of control and she would end up killing the deputy director's daughter. He had thought in the beginning that the sweet and fragile doctor would never go through with her plan. Big and empty words would be spoken, threaten the captives a bit and then they could all get the hell out of here, somewhere far away where no one could find them. But, the situation took a turn for the worst and he was second-guessing his decision to help this woman. Although he was aware of the fact that Jeanne would not harm Gibbs or DiNozzo, he never thought the petite woman would go so far in actually killing Ziva. Uneasy by the whole situation he took a look at the guards posted to insure them the much-needed privacy. None of them moved a muscle to stop the raging doctor, but he had met some of their gazes and they all looked appalled and horrified. By now, Ziva's screams had increased, Tony continued to yell and escape from his chair and Gibbs was yelling his name out, asking him to put an end to this madness. He was torn between stopping Jeanne's actions or let her take Ziva out, only to kill Gibbs and DiNozzo himself afterwards. Yet, Gibbs had never been more then civil towards him, sometimes even friendly and he did not have it in him to kill the older agent. He would not have an issue with shooting DiNozzo, but he knew that Gibbs was fond of his team, of his senior field agent. His mind made up, Kort rapidly moved from his place and tackled Jeanne. She screamed and ordered him to let her go, but his grip was like iron.

"Jeanne, stop this for a moment. You will hurt yourself. Let her be for now and you can continue in a while. My dear you're loosing your head. Take a deep breath a come with me. They're not going anywhere and when we return you may resume your activity with more precision." He explained in calm almost bored manned, tightening the grip on her slender wrists. She took a heavy breath, trying to regain her composer.

"You're right. I'm rushing this. We have all the time in the world." She replied dazed. Kort began to walk her out of the room, turning to one of the massive guards, called Butch. Although impassive, Kort knew that the man was deeply traumatized by the happenings. His colleague seemed not as distress as Butch, yet Kort knew that the ordeal left a mark on him to.

"Max, go guard the entrance with the others. Butch keep an eye on them." He said, waiting for Max to depart. Still holding Jeanne in place, her face turned towards Ziva, who by now was trying to remain conscious and struggling to breath. Kort, studied Butch, slightly tilting his head towards Gibbs. No words needed to be spoken; the man understood his task and simply nodded. The CIA agent began dragging Jeanne slowly, keeping her further away from his body. Upon reaching Gibbs's chair he met the older agent's eyes and mouthed "15 minutes"

Gibbs nodded, silently thanking him, while the two standing individuals moved away from them.

Before exiting their view, all hell broke loose. Shoots rang outside the abandoned building; screams and curses accompanied the racked. Next to the entrance, Max lay in a puddle of his own blood, a bullet hole between his eyes; he had not seen it coming, the gun was still tucked away in its holster, next to Max's silent heart.

* * *

A/N Kalba=bitch in Hebrew


End file.
